Introducing the CoW Grants Program

**Cross-chain bridges** enable assets and data to move between different blockchains, acting as critical infrastructure for blockchain interoperability. However, they remain one of DeFi's most exploited layers. **How bridges work:** - Lock assets on one chain and issue equivalents on another - Enable token transfers across ecosystems - Expand liquidity and utility **Main bridge types:** - **Lock-and-mint:** Assets locked on one chain, minted on another - **Burn-and-mint:** Tokens burned, then re-minted elsewhere - **Liquidity networks:** Use pools for instant swaps Each type varies in speed, security, and decentralization. **Security concerns:** Many bridges rely on multi-signature schemes or external validators, making them prime targets for exploits. New security models using zero-knowledge proofs and optimistic validation aim to reduce trust assumptions. **Future developments:** Innovations like native chain interoperability and shared security models are working to improve efficiency and reduce risk. The challenge remains balancing trust, speed, and user experience. [Learn safe bridging practices](http://cow.fi/learn/what-are-the-current-best-practices-for-using-cross-chain-bridges-in-de-fi)

CoW Protocol is hiring for three fully remote positions: - **Research Team Lead** - **Smart Contract Engineer** - **Lead Visual Designer** All roles are remote and applications can be submitted at [cow.fi/careers](https://cow.fi/careers). This represents continued growth for the protocol, which has been actively expanding its team over recent months.

**CoW Swap is now live on Linea**, Ethereum's L2 network, bringing gasless trading and advanced order types to the platform. **Key features on Linea:** - Gasless swaps by default - no ETH needed for gas - Limit and TWAP orders - Swap & Send functionality - Upcoming Swap & Bridge feature **How it works:** CoW Protocol's solver network competes to find the best prices across DEXs while protecting users from MEV attacks. **Expanded Aave integration** also launched, powering more DeFi operations: - Collateral swaps - Repay-with-collateral transactions - Debt swapping All operations are **gas-optimized and MEV-protected**. The integration uses intent-based transactions - users specify what they want, and solvers find the optimal execution path. **Benefits include:** - Solver-routed execution for better prices - Shared liquidity across $10B+ monthly volume - Simplified user experience with fewer approvals Try CoW Swap on Linea: [swap.cow.fi](https://swap.cow.fi/#/59144/swap/WETH/0x176211869cA2b568f2A7D4EE941E073a821EE1ff) Learn more about the Aave integration: [aave.com/blog/aave-cow-swap](https://aave.com/blog/aave-cow-swap)

A comprehensive 6-month trading analysis reveals CoW Swap's dominance among solver-based DEXes: - **Higher Trading Volume**: ~$200M daily vs $60M (1inch Fusion) and $30M (UniswapX) - **More Decentralized**: Top solver only controls 25% market share, with next five at ~10% each - **Better for Large Trades**: Shows best execution improvement for trades over 100 ETH The study compared CoW Swap, 1inch Fusion, and UniswapX, finding solver-based DEXes generally outperform traditional alternatives through optimized routing and off-chain liquidity access. Try CoW Swap: [swap.cow.fi](https://swap.cow.fi/#/1/swap/WETH/0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48)

CoW DAO announces their presence at DevCon Bangkok with a packed schedule: - Tuesday: @Silver_Queen presents on user interaction in web3 - Wednesday: Booth presence at ArbiVerse (Arbitrum event) with swag giveaways - Thursday: @AnnaMSGeorge discusses CoW AMM's batch mechanism - Friday: Two key talks: * @AndreaCanidio on trade intents and fair mechanism design * @fleupold_ explores PBS in Ethereum **Special Event**: CoW DAO hackathon offering $10,000 in prizes at ETHGlobal Visit the CoW DAO booth to connect with the team and collect exclusive swag!