a16z Doubles Down on LayerZero With Fresh $55M in ZRO

• a16z deepens its commitment to LayerZero by locking $55M worth of ZRO tokens for three years.
• LayerZero expands utility with Libre, Plume, and Nibiru integrations across 125+ blockchains.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has again poured large funds into a project that they consider to have a bright future. This time, they have added $55 million in investment into LayerZero’s native token, ZRO. But this is no ordinary investment, where the token is locked for three years. This step was announced directly by a16z’s General Partner, Ali Yahya.

This means that they cannot just buy and sell in the near future. It can be said that this is a strong signal that a16z is really serious about supporting this cross-chain protocol in the long term.

I’m excited to announce that we’ve invested an additional $55M in @LayerZero_Core tokens (ZRO), with a 3-year lockup.

Our global financial system is evolving, and it’s great to see the protocol enabling many new businesses and complex workflows to move onchain. pic.twitter.com/uyDHaSsKyR

— Ali Yahya | alive.eth (@alive_eth) April 17, 2025

On the other hand, this decision also came at the right moment. LayerZero is busy expanding the reach of their protocol. CNF previously reported that LayerZero had integrated with NibiruChain. This makes cross-chain transactions smoother, reaching more than 125 blockchain networks. If previously interoperability was just a slogan, now LayerZero is making it a reality.

Not stopping there, they have also recently established a strategic partnership with Libre Capital. The goal? Bringing institutional funds that have been tokenized to hundreds of blockchain networks.

Libre, known for developing infrastructure for real-world assets (RWAs), will use LayerZero’s Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) standard to ensure cross-chain distribution and liquidity—and, importantly, remain compliant.

LayerZero: A New Milestone in Cross-Chain Yield Streaming

Furthermore, in April, LayerZero also connected to Plume SkyLink. This integration allows real-world asset yields to be streamed across chains securely and seamlessly. Investors can also manage yields in a permissionless manner.

Technologies like SyncPools and YieldTokens make the process efficient and transparent. It’s like providing a special toll road for large amounts of money flowing from the traditional financial world to the blockchain space.

Amid all the updates, don’t forget one important thing: LayerZero’s third birthday. On March 15, they celebrated the journey they’ve made so far. During that time, they’ve processed over 145 million cross-chain messages and moved over $60 billion in value.

Imagine if all of this was still using a traditional financial system—it would be twice as complicated. This is a kind of proof that LayerZero is not just a passing project, but has become an important part of today’s blockchain infrastructure.

If we look back, a16z is also not a new player in the LayerZero ecosystem. They previously participated in Series A+ and Series B funding that pushed the project’s valuation to $3 billion.

So, their decision to lock ZRO for three years can be read as a form of deeper trust. Not just relying on the whitepaper and sweet promises, but also taking the long term.

Meanwhile, as of the writing time, ZRO is swapped hands at about $2.40, up 1.80% over the last 24 hours and driving its market cap to surpass the $250 million mark.