Omnichain token (OFT)

An omnichain token is deployed as a set of linked contracts, one per chain, that together share a single supply. LayerZero's Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) standard is the best-known version: sending tokens burns or locks them on the source chain and sends a message that mints or unlocks them on the destination. Existing tokens can join through an adapter that locks them on their home chain.

Issuers favour the model because holders get the same token everywhere, with no competing wrapped versions and no single bridge pool to drain. Stablecoins, liquid staking tokens and project tokens have adopted OFT or similar standards such as Wormhole NTT and xERC20, and a Tether-backed version of USDT built on OFT circulates across many chains.

Omnichain does not mean trustless. Security depends on the messaging layer and, in OFT's case, on which verifier networks the issuer configured; a weak setup lets an attacker mint tokens on one chain. Rate limits and pause rights held by the issuer are common, and liquidity may still be thin on smaller chains.