Benefits

CCTP Express envisions to provide a faster yet cheaper way to bridge USDC across chains using CCTP.

Faster

CCTP Express introduces a filler-pay-first mechanism. It literally allows users to skip the wait time of block confirmations for finality required by Circle, the transaction wait time shortens from 20sec - 13mins to 1sec - 36sec.

In CCTP Express, an user signs an off-chain message to broadcast his intent to bridge USDC, the filler initiates and fills this order, and funds are transferred to the user on the destination chain instantly.

Fillers are repaid later, with funds rebalanced through CCTP. These steps happen behind the scenes, ensuring a seamless experience for users.

Cheaper

Bridging USDC via CCTP Express is cheaper than using CCTP directly.

CCTP Express bundles transactions to repay fillers and rebalance SpokePools on difference chains. Gas fees is an overhead expense shared across multiple transactions, creating an economy of scale.

In addition, the Settlement Chain Contract sends the repayFunds and rebalanceFunds messages in the form of a merkle root hash, minimizing gas consumption.

Stableness

According to the CCTP Discord channel, delays are often reported when using CCTP. These delays often stem from issues like attestation lag, minter allowance errors, and other potential system errors.

In case of these delays occur, CCTP Express users are shielded, as fillers will immediately initiate the order and transfer funds to the user on the destination chain. Essentially, fillers absorb these delays on behalf of users, making CCTP Express a more stable way to use CCTP.