Launched in February 2025 by the Ethereum Foundation in partnership with Hyperlane and Bootnode, the Open Intents Framework (OIF) is gaining traction as a shared infrastructure for building and executing cross-chain intents. With support from more than 30 teams, including heavyweights like Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, ZKsync and Starknet, the project positions itself as a neutral standard rather than its own product.
What the framework actually does
OIF provides the toolkit that allows cross-chain intents to work across multiple chains. It includes smart contracts, open-source solvers, aggregators, and an SDK that developers can plug into without asking anyone’s permission. The core architecture is based on three major contract types: InputSettler, OutputSettler, and Oracle contracts, along with an interoperability SDK that connects them together.
The framework builds on the ERC-7683 standard, which defines how cross-chain intents should be structured. When a user submits an intent, for example a cross-chain token swap, competing solvers race to fulfill that request as efficiently as possible.
Deployments are already live on multiple networks, including Ethereum Sepolia and Optimism Sepolia. Under optimal conditions, solver-filled orders are completed within 10 to 60 seconds.
Coinbase is joining the party
The framework gained significant support in September 2025 when Coinbase Payments became a major contributor. The exchange’s payments division is working to standardize cross-chain asset transfers via OIF.
OIF’s design is deliberately modular and permissionless, meaning any team can deploy and expand the contracts without approval from a central authority. There is no governance token, no protocol fee extraction, no vendor lock-in. Production contracts have been deployed on several testnets and mainnets, with ongoing audits and additional solver development planned for later this year.
Why the ‘no token’ thing matters
OIF does not have any special token or crypto asset associated with it. This is a conscious design choice that positions the framework as a neutral infrastructure. For developers, this removes the need to navigate tokenomics, wagering requirements, or fee structures that can change based on token holder votes.
Without a token, there is no direct financial incentive mechanism to build a network of solvers and participants. The framework instead relies on the competitive dynamics of solvers who benefit from efficiently fulfilling intentions.