Many top cryptocurrencies have performed well in the last year, including Chainlink (CRYPTO: LINK). As I write this (Oct. 1), the leading oracle cryptocurrency is up by about 95% year on year. Oracles are the backbone to many blockchain ecosystems because they provide the data that keeps everything running.
Chainlink describes itself as “the missing link between blockchains and the real world.” Not only can Chainlink act as a bridge between blockchain systems and existing networks, it also helps individual blockchains to talk to each other.
It secures over $100 billion in funds on-chain, according to DefiLlama, and claims to have facilitated over $25 trillion in transactions. Put simply, if blockchain continues to gain mainstream adoption, oracle cryptos like Chainlink will play a key role.
Why Chainlink still has room to grow
The passing of the GENIUS Act in the U.S. removed a major obstacle that had been stopping blockchain projects, particularly stablecoins, from going mainstream. Now, major financial institutions, banks, payment providers, and even stock exchanges are looking at ways to integrate blockchain technology into their operations.
That integration goes beyond stablecoins to include things like decentralized applications, tokenized real-world assets, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). It isn’t clear what shape it will take, but much of it will rely on smart contracts — tiny pieces of blockchain-based, self-executing code. And smart contracts rely on the type of information that Chainlink provides.
It’s all very well having blockchain code that automatically triggers in certain situations without the need for middlemen. But if the information feeding the code is faulty, the whole system breaks down. Those smart contracts need accurate data, whether that’s on chain or in the real world.
Let’s say you have a decentralized sports betting application. The smart contracts can only pay out if they know which team won and what happened in the game. That comes from an oracle. Similarly, accurate data about, say currency or stock prices, is crucial for stablecoins or tokenized stocks to function.
Chainlink is at the forefront of what could be a new frontier. It recently announced the launch of DataLink, which allows institutions to easily publish data on blockchains. It is partnering with the German stock exchange to make real-time information available on over 40 blockchains. It’s working with the U.S. government to bring macroeconomic data online. And it has been collaborating with Swift, the international payment messaging system, on ways to connect its network to the blockchain.
