The recent interest of financial giants, including BlackRock and Fidelity, in integrating cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum into their ETF offerings made me wonder if I could create a decentralised and transparent ETF that can encompass assets from different chains.

That's how XTF (deX Traded Fund) was born. My goal was to simplify and enhance the security of investments in a variety of digital assets, eliminating the hassle of managing each asset individually or dealing with multiple wallets.

Despite the existence of crypto indexes like the Bitpanda Crypto Index, which are established by centralised entities, latest developments have underscored the need for an alternative approach. In response, I aimed to develop a fair protocol where every stakeholder — from those depositing assets into the ETF buckets to the holders of the resulting share tokens — could clearly recognise the benefits.

The logo of XTF, depicting a multi-layered cake, symbolises the integration of various assets into a unified investment and offers investors a 'slice' of this diversity in a single, cohesive asset.

One key takeaway from this project was the rapid learning and implementation of a complex protocol, especially in using three Chainlink services: Data Feed, CCIP, and VRF, with a particular emphasis on CCIP. Delving into CCIP was a journey into a sophisticated and effective solution for interoperability challenges in blockchain networks.

My experience as the inventor of the Overledger protocol, now known as Quant Overledger, an early example of cross-chain communication, gave me a foundation to understand and navigate the complexities of such technologies. Engaging with CCIP was a valuable learning part of my work I'm especially proud of. This project not only leveraged my existing knowledge in cross-chain systems but also expanded it, particularly in understanding and applying Chainlink's solutions in the space.