ARK's Cathie Wood Highlights LayerZero's Importance in Crypto Messaging

Cathie Wood, the CEO of ARK Invest, stated that the majority of investors fail to see the significance of LayerZero (ZRO) in the cross-chain messaging space. She commended the team behind the interoperability protocol in a post on X.

Her post amplified an argument published two days earlier by Lorenzo Valente, ARK’s director of research for digital assets, who said LayerZero’s interoperability business alone will probably reach nine-figure annual recurring revenue (ARR).

Wood: Investors Undervalue LayerZero

On Saturday, Wood wrote on X that most investors “do not appreciate the important role” LayerZero has in crypto messaging. She also highlighted the founding team.

Most investors do not appreciate the important role that @LayerZero_Core is playing in crypto messaging and interoperability. I am so impressed with the vision of Bryan, Simon, and the team. https://t.co/6n5SGn69il

— Cathie Wood (@CathieDWood) September 5, 2026

LayerZero transmits authenticated messages between blockchains that are not natively compatible. ARK identifies over 170 supported networks.

Valente first presented the argument on Thursday. He wrote that as application-specific chains and rollups proliferated, messaging protocols became essential infrastructure. The demand is further boosted by the on-chain movement of tokenized real-world assets.

The ARK research note from September 3, which prompted Wood's post, provides quantitative backing for the assertion. Based on data up to June, it attributes $280 billion in total value transferred to LayerZero and a 44% share of cross-chain volume during the first six months of 2026.

LayerZero, however, does not dominate the space. Circle's CCTP ranked second with 41%, and Chainlink promotes a comparable cross-chain offering via CCIP.

ZRO Posts Monthly Rise Despite Friday Decline

In the near term, traders have not aligned with Cathie Wood's view. ZRO is changing hands around $1.04, a decline of roughly 6% on the day. Its market capitalization is $368.7 million, placing it 120th.

The monthly performance is more robust. ZRO has gained approximately 36% in the past month, with the majority of that increase occurring between August 21 and August 23.

The recovery began from an all-time low. ZRO hit a trough of $0.71 on July 31 and remains well under its December 2024 high of $7.47.

Supply dynamics continue to weigh on the token. Monthly unlocks of ZRO tokens increase the circulating supply, which is now close to 353 million.

ARK is not an impartial participant. The company discloses financial stakes in both LayerZero Labs and ZRO, meaning its research also reflects its investment.

Valente, meanwhile, described the revenue projection as his personal view rather than an official ARK forecast. Wood's backing is based on that assessment. The second installment of the ARK series may reveal whether the fee data supports it.