On January 20, 2026, the Mantle ecosystem announced a strategic collaboration with interoperability protocol Everclear (formerly Connext) to introduce Cross-Chain Asset Settlement. This integration is designed to eliminate traditional bridging friction, allowing users to seamlessly swap wrapped ETH (wETH) from Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, or Polygon directly into Mantle's native mETH token in under one minute.
The core innovation addresses a critical pain point in multi-chain DeFi: liquidity fragmentation. As assets like ETH exist in numerous forms (wETH, mETH, stETH), Everclear's infrastructure solves this by netting cross-chain flows and automatically rebalancing inventory. This reduces redundant liquidity and lowers costs, while users experience a single-transaction process with better pricing, no slippage, and fast execution.
Emily Bao, Key Advisor of Mantle, stated, "Real-world usability of on-chain assets depends on efficient settlement across chains. This integration reinforces Mantle’s RWA and ETH-native strategy by removing onboarding friction and enabling capital to flow into the ecosystem in a more scalable, institutional-grade way."
Nikita Bulgakov from the Everclear Foundation added, "Everclear was built to be the settlement layer for a fragmented, multi-asset future. By connecting different representations of the same asset, we enable partners like Mantle and mETH Protocol to offer a truly chain-abstracted experience to users."
The partnership begins with mETH but lays a foundation for expanding to more ETH-based assets and stablecoins. Mantle is the first launch partner for Everclear's expanded cross-asset settlement initiative. This move reflects a broader industry shift toward chain-abstracted finance, where users interact with assets without managing the underlying complexity of bridges and liquidity pools.
Mantle, which positions itself as a premier distribution layer bridging TradFi and on-chain liquidity, boasts over $4 billion in community-owned assets. Its ecosystem is anchored by the $MNT token and includes core projects like mETH Protocol—a liquid staking protocol with a peak TVL of $2.19 billion in its first year.
Everclear, operating as a B2B clearing and settlement layer, processes approximately $400 million in monthly volume across blue-chip assets and stablecoins for partners like Across and LI.FI.
