VIA Labs Enables VIAT Transfers Between Stellar and Ethereum in One to Three Minutes

Key Facts

Messaging between Stellar, through the Soroban environment, and Ethereum is available in both directions on the mainnets and testnets, according to VIA Labs documentation. The reference integration is based on VIAT, a token that moves between the networks through a burn-and-mint model. The company says transfers are completed in one to three minutes, allowing the token to move between the environments without keeping corresponding units on the sending network. But the technical announcement describes a specific path for the token; it does not mean Soroban contracts are automatically connected to Ethereum contracts. Any broader uses of the messaging layer remain dependent on building additional integrations.

The process begins when a user calls the transfer function in the VIAT contract on the sending network; the contract then burns the required amount and sends the gateway a message containing the recipient, amount and an optional memo. VIA validators then monitor the source gateway and sign the message, before a relayer submits it to the receiving network's gateway. The gateway there verifies the signed message and then mints the tokens for the recipient, according to the sequence of steps described in the documentation. VIA says on-chain resubmission of the message is rejected and the total supply across networks remains constant. This model relies on burning at the time of sending and minting upon receipt, rather than moving the token itself between the networks' ledgers.

The documentation distinguishes between using the reference token and creating a new route. The contracts for transferring VIAT have already been deployed, so VIA describes this route as available without prior permission. A custom integration, however, requires building, deploying and configuring a client in collaboration with the company. Each route needs a gateway address, a VIA network identifier and a matching endpoint on the other network, according to the integration guide. The documentation says the messaging layer is not limited to tokens; it can carry prices, results, numbers, text or other data. This defines the technical scope, but does not establish that particular applications are already using it.

On fees and audits, VIA says the reference Stellar contracts used in the integration are VG1 contracts reviewed by Hashlock. Transfers on Stellar incur the network's usual fees in XLM, while gas fees are calculated on networks compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. The documentation adds that no VIA protocol fees are charged on Stellar routes during the launch period. The company says messages awaiting one confirmation or none typically reach their destination in less than two minutes on the mainnet. Latency, however, is affected by the number of confirmations set for each route, according to VIA's overview page.

The move comes as the Stellar Development Foundation reports indicators of expanding network activity. In its 2025 review, the foundation said the network processed 3.6 billion transactions during the year, bringing cumulative operations to 21.5 billion. In the first quarter of 2026, stablecoin payment volume reached a record $5.5 billion, up 72% year on year. The foundation also reported 22.5 billion cumulative operations, 99.99% uptime and average fees of about one-hundredth of a cent, while unique addresses reached 10.6 million. These indicators relate to Stellar activity overall and do not measure use of the VIA integration or trading in VIAT.

In the stablecoin context, the foundation announced in a separate news item the launch of USDT0 on Stellar, saying the token, built on LayerZero's OFT standard, maintains a unified supply backed 1:1 by USDT. That announcement does not provide evidence of growing USDT trading on the network, nor does it link the launch of USDT0 to VIA's reference integration. VIA Labs says on its overview page that it connects more than 150 networks, has delivered more than 20 million messages, has operated for more than four years and has had no reported hacks, according to its description. The Stellar Community Fund also lists VIA Labs under the project “Cross-Chain Interoperability: From Oracles to Tokens,” with funding of $95,000 in Round 35. This background places the project among Stellar's interoperability efforts, while development of any custom route remains a later step requiring work with VIA.