February is here which means that we’re getting prepared for the launch of our Testnet.

We plan to divide it into 3 phases, each of which will focus on testing the most important components of Allgate. One such component is the SubZero protocol. Let’s talk about it and explain how it’s going to change Web3 and especially DeFi by making all existing protocols Omnichain by default.

Context

Cross-chain architecture and solutions enable/improve:

• User Experience due to the Web3 infrastructure abstraction.

• Openness to protocols from different chains (including between EVM and non-EVM) which increases composability.

• Interacting with contracts regardless of what network a User is connected to.

• Cost-efficiency, Time-efficiency, security (No bridging, direct transactions, fewer steps to accomplish task).

The growing adoption of cross-chain general messaging protocols (GMPs) such as LayerZero or Axelar has led to the emergence of new protocols claiming their superiority over “old” single or even multi-chain (but not cross-chain) applications. In all fairness, on first look, it’s a valid statement because chain-agnostic contracts can indeed allow to abstract away Web3 infrastructure - for example the necessity to bridge tokens or switch between networks in a wallet in order to use certain Dapps.

So, what about well-known, trusted, highly liquid, and important protocols such as Aave, Compound, OpenSea (Seaport), Maker/Dai, Uniswap, and more?

Introducing SubZero - our way to make all protocols Omnichain.

SubZero is one of our core components and is technically a protocol on its own. It enables the following:

1. All existing contracts become cross-chain without any action from their side.

2. Users can use any protocol from any chain without switching networks.

3. Support for all kinds of transactions - involving tokens or tokenless.

4. Easy for developers to use and make User Interfaces on top of it to make interacting with SubZero seamless.

Too good to be true? No. Here are some examples of what will be possible:

• Adding supply to Aave from BNB Chain.

• Borrowing on Compound from Aptos.

• Exchanging tokens on Uniswap from Metis, Moonbeam, zkSync, etc.

• Buying Ethereum’s NFT on OpenSea from any chain.

• Sending NFT and fungible tokens while being on a different chain.

• Transferring your tokens from Ethereum to Optimism while not being connected to Ethereum (for instance, you’re on Optimism).

• Infinitely more…

Cross-chain transactions chaining

It’s not everything yet. Imagine you want to buy NFT on Aptos using eg. USDC, and you are even connected to this network, but you don’t have your stablecoins on Aptos - you have it on for eg. BNB Chain. Thanks to SubZero being able to perform cross-chain transactions chaining we will enable you to batch in one transaction the following operations:

1. Initiate operation from the chain you’re connected to (Aptos) - it sends a message to the chain where you have tokens (BNB Chain).

2. On receive, your USDC on BNB Chain will be sent to the desired network (Aptos in this case).

3. On receive, again on Aptos, your transferred (incoming) USDC will be used to perform the operation’s final transaction - buying NFT.

How will it work from a User perspective?

You probably used a Dapp before that displayed to you “Wrong network“ or “Switch network“ messages. The end goal for SubZero is to make it a relic of the past. Anytime you see these errors/blockers know that this Dapp will be able to use SubZero to allow you to interact from your chain, and not require Users to have technical knowledge, change networks, bridge assets, etc.

No changes to the underlying protocol’s contracts are required. In the example above, all 3 transactions (2 cross-chain) will be routed and executed by SubZero. At first, Allgate will build and share the User Interface to interact with the most reputable and popular (probably even mentioned above) Web3 protocols with SubZero utilized as the underlying technology. All the User will see is the applications list (eg. Uniswap, Compound, Aave, etc.), and after selecting one - the list of actions specific to the chosen app (swap interface, add supply button, […]). In general, at the very beginning, we’ll serve as the protocols aggregator with SubZero working in the background (Omni Apps). In the end, our plan is to encourage protocols to utilize SubZero on their Dapps.

SubZero core components

• SubZero - Entry contract with immutable address (Proxy) responsible for accepting and validating input.

• SubZeroRouter - Routing a cross-chain transaction depending on the next call target (third-party contract, eg. Aave) destination chain.

• SubAccount - The most crucial core component of SubZero protocol infrastructure. It serves as User’s Omnichain Account as well as an arbitrary transaction executor. What SubAccount is:

  1. Independent contract using Adapters allowing SubAccount to be upgradeable (only by the owner), future-proof, and protocol-agnostic.

  2. Cross-chain application on its own - accepts LayerZero messages, Stargate messages, OFTs messages, etc.

  3. Account Abstraction - smart contract account owner is able to use (including cross-chain transactions) even without SubZero.

  4. Delegated transactions executor (caller) - performs calls as a msg.sender, provides a fallback mechanism for failed cross-chain transactions and funds recoverability.

• Adapter - Module that introduces additional capabilities to utilize by a SubAccount. By default SubAccount use AllgateAdapter, LayerZeroAdapter, and StargateAdapter. Some may be used for general messaging passing between SubAccount instances across chains (LayerZero), and some are explicitly used for cross-chain composable calls involving tokens (AllgateAdapter for OFTs, StargateAdapter for Stablecoins). Each added to the SubAccount Adapter is removable from the Adapters mapping by the SubAccount owner. In the future, Allgate will provide more SubZero Adapters for owners who would like to upgrade their SubAccounts with more capabilities. Examples of such incoming Adapters are - AxelarAdapter, ConnectXAdapter, etc. Each of these could potentially extend SubAccount’s cross-chain possibilities by providing support for various chains.

Next-gen Account for all Web3.

If you’ve read the above section, there’s a chance that you share our excitement about the new possibilities that the SubZero protocol with its SubAccounts present to every Web3 User.

The ability to completely abstract Web3 infrastructure. For the Users, it means never again switching networks in their wallets to use a specific protocol or Dapp. Never again having to bridge tokens to be able to make use of them. Always being able to use tokens that you hold on multiple chains as if they were on the same chain/account. And the list of benefits goes on and on. For the protocols (Teams), it means not having to deploy or modify any code/changes to be cross-chain compatible.

So, let’s have it! This month we’ll launch the first phase of the Allgate Testnet. At this stage, our focus will be the testing of new OFTs creation, cross-chain transfers, management, and error handling. The second phase of the Testnet will concentrate on the Migrations - their various strategies and Holders onboarding. Lastly, the third phase of the Testnet will be designed to prepare, test, and optimize the SubZero protocol on some real-world applications like Compound or Uniswap and their official testnet contracts. We’ll also make sure then to audit the contracts and implement each potential fix and improvement on every possible level to make Allgate secure, reliable as well as friendly for Users and developers. In the meantime, our intention is to build a valuable product, an initial user base, and partnerships with other projects.