First RGB Bridge Brings USDT From Ethereum To Bitcoin Via Lightning

Recently, the team behind Tricorn—now joining Utexo—has completed the first-ever RGB bridge live on Bitcoin, debuting with a transfer of Tether (USDT) from Ethereum to RGB, according to a press release sent to Bitcoin Magazine. This marks the first time USDT has been issued as an RGB asset on Bitcoin and made available for instant settlement over RGB Lightning.

“This milestone enables Bitcoin to capture stablecoin flows while preserving privacy, self-custody, and the immutability of settlement on Bitcoin,” the announcement stated. “Fees are low, settlement is fast, and the design is peer-to-peer.”

The Ethereum-to-RGB bridge allows stablecoins and other digital assets to move into Bitcoin’s ecosystem via RGB. Once bridged, assets operate as RGB tokens that can settle directly on-chain or move instantly using RGB Lightning. This innovation aims to bring high-volume, stable liquidity to Bitcoin without reliance on custodians or intermediaries.

LNFI has already announced plans to leverage this bridge to move USDT from Ethereum onto RGB Lightning. “As our strategic partner, LNFI is focused on unlocking multi-asset decentralized finance on RGB Lightning and will securely bridge USDT from supported blockchains to RGB mainnet via Tricorn,” the release stated. LNFI will use the bridged USDT as a Lightning Service Provider (LSP) on Astra Labs, enabling “instant, private, cheap, trust-minimized stablecoin swaps between supported blockchains and the RGB Lightning Network.”

The integration paves the way for advanced DeFi, payments, and trading use cases by enabling fluid asset movement between EVM blockchains, RGB, and RGB Lightning. Notably, this launch brings wrapped USDT liquidity to Bitcoin ahead of Tether’s official RGB issuance.

RGB’s architecture is designed to focus on privacy and sovereignty—using client-side validation with Bitcoin as the settlement anchor. Assets remain under user control and private by default, without requiring federations, validators, or coordinators, according to the release.

Developers can integrate the RGB bridge into wallets, marketplaces, and other protocols, allowing users to bridge, hold, and transact assets like USDT on Bitcoin efficiently and privately.

The engineering team behind Tricorn is now part of Utexo, which is developing an interface for private Bitcoin DeFi using RGB. Utexo says it will soon offer simple tools to swap, transfer, and manage bridged assets, making this technology accessible to a wider audience.

The Ethereum-to-RGB bridge is live today for developers and the closer community, with additional networks to be added soon and broader public access through Utexo on the horizon.