An Interview With Union

• Could you please share a brief about what Union is all about?

Union is an infrastructure project built to reduce fragmentation across different blockchain networks by providing sovereign, fully permissionless interoperability. Union leverages zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to improve connectivity appchains, L1s, and L2s without depending on trusted third parties, oracles, multi-sigs, or MPCs, removing the risk of central points of failure and enhancing the security of cross-chain transactions.

• Can you explain how Union addresses the “sovereign bridging trilemma” and what makes your approach to interoperability unique compared to existing solutions?

Union addresses the sovereign bridging trilemma – speed, ubiquity, and ownership – by establishing a trustless, decentralized, and permissionless interoperability layer that connects blockchain networks without relying on intermediaries. 

Central to Union’s solution is its unique ZK-powered consensus mechanism, which maintains independence from centralized actors. The use of Boneh–Lynn–Shacham (BLS) signatures allows for signature aggregation, making them computationally less expensive to prove within a ZK circuit, leading to succinct ZK proofs that are compact and quick to verify, regardless of the data being proven. Further, users can generate their own proofs on consumer-grade hardware, meaning that the network would continue to operate even if the team behind it were to disappear, offering nation-state resistance and sovereignty and setting Union apart from its peers. 

• What inspired you to create Union, and how does your background in smart contracts and systems engineering influence the design and functionality of the protocol?

What inspired me to create Union is my prior experience with Cosmos’ Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol that I co-developed on Substrate (Polkadot). I recognized the limitations of existing interoperability solutions, which often relied on centralized components and were vulnerable to hacks – as evidenced by the numerous bridge exploits that resulted in billions of dollars stolen. This motivated me to develop a more secure, trust-minimized approach to cross-chain communication. Union’s ZK-powered consensus mechanism builds upon the principles of IBC while overcoming its limitations, enabling seamless and secure interoperability across a wide range of blockchain networks without introducing additional trust assumptions or centralized points of failure.

• Union leverages Zero-Knowledge cryptography to enable trustless interoperability. Can you elaborate on how this technology enhances security and decentralization across different blockchain ecosystems?

The use of ZKPs in Union’s protocol ensures that cross-chain transactions and data transfers can be verified cryptographically in a resource-efficient manner, maintaining the security guarantees of each individual protocol while enabling seamless interaction between them. This technology allows for the creation of a fully decentralized interoperability layer that preserves the integrity of transactions across different networks. Union’s approach not only enhances security by removing potential points of failure, but also strengthens decentralization of the blockchain ecosystem by enabling trustless communication between networks without introducing centralized components.

• With the introduction of your flagship product, ETH to IBC, how do you see Union transforming the landscape of blockchain bridging and interoperability?

The ETH to IBC product is set to change blockchain bridging and interoperability by providing a fully trustless and permissionless solution for connecting Ethereum and IBC-enabled chains. By bridging two of the largest blockchain ecosystems, Ethereum and Cosmos, Union is poised to unlock significant liquidity flows and enable seamless asset transfers between networks.

The impact of ETH to IBC extends beyond just connecting these two ecosystems. Union’s technology allows for permissionless integration of new chains and rollups, paving the way for a future where thousands of different L2s can coexist while providing users with a unified experience.

• What challenges have you faced in developing a fully trustless bridge, and how has Union overcome these to ensure secure and efficient cross-chain communication?

Developing a fully trustless bridge has presented several challenges, with speed being a critical focus alongside security and interoperability. In cross-chain transactions, achieving low-latency communication is essential to ensure efficient processing and user satisfaction. Union employs CometBLS, a modified version of CometBFT, as its consensus verification layer, which unlocks fast and scalable cross-chain communication. This technology ensures rapid execution and low operational costs without compromising security or trustlessness.

• How does Union’s modular consensus framework contribute to the future of horizontal scalability in the blockchain space, and what potential do you see for this technology?

Union’s consensus framework enhances horizontal scalability in the blockchain space by facilitating seamless interoperability across diverse ecosystems. By breaking down the core functions of a blockchain into distinct, interchangeable layers, the modular consensus framework allows specialized infrastructure to efficiently perform specific network functions. The modular approach enables different blockchains, each with its own consensus protocol, to integrate into a unified, permissionless interoperability layer like the IBC protocol.

As a result, Union’s framework supports greater scalability by allowing multiple chains to operate in parallel, effectively expanding capacity and improving performance without relying on a single chain. This advancement is key to achieving broader scalability in blockchain technology, paving the way for a more interconnected and efficient blockchain ecosystem

• Emir, can you share your strategy for expanding Union’s integrations and partnerships, and how your experience at ConsenSys and working with companies like Shopify and Stripe informs this approach?

Union’s strategy for expanding integrations and partnerships is rooted in building strong, collaborative relationships with key players in the blockchain ecosystem. Drawing from my experience at ConsenSys, Shopify, and Stripe, we’ve learned the importance of aligning the technology roadmap with the needs and capabilities of partners.

Union’s approach focuses on identifying and engaging with partners that have mature integration programs and are committed to long-term collaboration. This strategy involves not just providing technical solutions, but also investing time and effort in understanding the partners’ goals and challenges. Union aims to create partnerships that go beyond mere technical integrations, leading to more innovative and robust solutions for the blockchain space.

• Looking ahead, what are Union’s long-term goals, and how do you envision the protocol’s role in shaping the future of Web3 interoperability and decentralization?

One of Union’s long-term goals is to become the leading interoperability solution in the blockchain space, with a focus on establishing itself as a pivotal player in the future of decentralization. By integrating more ecosystems, Union aims to unlock liquidity flow and enhance decentralized finance (DeFi), driving the DeFi space by supporting seamless interoperability between major networks like Ethereum, Polygon, and Cosmos. 

Union wants to unlock DeFi on Bitcoin by providing trustless connections that enhance liquidity flow across various blockchain ecosystems, facilitating greater access to liquidity and financial services, thus promoting innovation in DeFi applications.

• How does the collaboration between Union and Native aim to address the current limitations of Bitcoin bridges and enhance security for users transferring assets across Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions and other blockchain ecosystems?

The collaboration addresses the issues with Bitcoin bridges by focusing development on trust-minimized solutions that enable users to move assets across various Bitcoin L2 solutions and the broader multi-chain ecosystem without relying on centralized intermediaries. This partnership leverages Union’s ZKP technology and consensus verification approach, combined with Native’s Zero Trust Architecture, which uses Two-Party Computation Multi-Party Computation (2PC-MPC) cryptography. Together, these technologies allow secure asset transfers without the need for trusted third parties, effectively eliminating the risks associated with centralized bridge solutions.

By focusing on enhancing security and maintaining user sovereignty, this collaboration seeks to overcome the vulnerabilities of existing Bitcoin bridges. The partnership aims to create a unified experience across diverse blockchain ecosystems, facilitating seamless asset transfers and data communication between previously isolated networks. This approach not only addresses the fragmented liquidity in the Bitcoin ecosystem but also provides Bitcoin holders with the confidence to participate in DeFi and other decentralized applications while retaining full custody of their assets.