Can IBC Become The Interoperability Standard For L2s? With Polymer

For our final chain abstraction focused podcast in NYC, we are talking about IBC.

IBC is well known as the interoperability standard for the Cosmos ecosystem. Its by far the most lindy interoperability protocol, which explains Bo's "infatuation" with IBC as a whole.

Polymer has been working on interoperability since 2021, and their journey has evolved to bring them into the Ethereum rollup landscape.

Initially, Polymer explored Z solutions for verifying cross-chain transactions, but by early 2022, they narrowed focus towards L2 to L2 markets. This shift away from ZK wasn’t about abandoning the technology entirely—it was about focusing on what would solve real, immediate problems for app developers and protocols.

We had a really good chat with Bo about the vision, the path thus far, and where they are headed.

One of the key pain points Polymer is addressing is the long latency between L2s, particularly when waiting for Ethereum’s finality, which can take 12–16 minutes. This lag can be costly, both in time and in fees, as solvers charge users to take on the settlement risk.

With their testnet live since March 2024 and mainnet just around the corner, Polymer is positioned to bring IBC to Ethereum and the modular ecosystem sooner than later. Today’s episode will dive deep into how Polymer’s approach to cross-chain communication is evolving and what it means for the future of app-specific rollups in the crypto ecosystem.

Enjoy.

The Rollup