Bridged token

A bridged token is a representation of an asset from one blockchain that's been moved to another chain through a bridge, usually locked on the original chain while a matching version gets minted elsewhere. This matters because the bridged version isn't the same asset in a legal or technical sense; it's an IOU backed by whatever the bridge operator holds, so its safety depends entirely on that bridge's security. For example, when you move ETH from Ethereum to Arbitrum, you don't get "real" ETH on Arbitrum. You get a bridged version that Arbitrum's contracts treat as ETH, redeemable back to the original only if the bridge stays solvent and uncompromised. Several bridge hacks, including the $625 million Ronin exploit in 2022, wiped out bridged tokens even though the underlying originals were untouched.