Illuminating the Cross-chain Intents Landscape

Inspired by the work from Flashbots, , made with love by Anera Labs.

This dashboard provides an analysis of the market structure in Cross-chain "intent" systems.
The analysis encompasses various protocols operating on multiple blockchain networks, including Ethereum L1, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon PoS, zkSync Era, Avalanche, BNB Chain, Solana, and Linea.

Our data shows us that while this architecture has grown in popularity because of the cost and speed benefits, there is a clear centralising externality here. We wanted to specifically identity the point at which this force becomes more pronounced. This analysis is a preliminary building block for an ongoing deeper investigation of the nuance underpinning intent architectures in cross chain venues. We wanted to highlight that while intents represent an upgrade in user experience, there is still plenty of work to be done

Key Definitions

1. Intents= User signed messages expressing preferences over minimum acceptable price and tokens they want on destination chain in exchange for tokens on source chain.
2. Relayers/Fillers= Sophisticated 3rd parties that take on price and execution risk to optimistically fill users quickly on destination chain.