What makes THORChain different from other cross-chain bridges?

THORChain enables truly native cross-chain swaps — swapping native BTC for native ETH — without wrapped tokens or custodial bridges. Assets are held in vaults secured by bonded RUNE nodes.

Can I swap RUNE without KYC?

Yes. SyntheticSwap supports RUNE swaps with no registration or identity verification.

Why is RUNE the settlement asset?

All THORChain liquidity pools pair external assets (BTC, ETH, etc.) against RUNE. This design makes RUNE essential to every swap and directly ties its value to protocol usage.

What is THORChain lending?

THORChain lending lets users deposit native BTC or ETH as collateral to borrow stablecoins without liquidation risk (unless the collateral asset falls more than 50%). Interest is paid in the borrower's collateral asset.

Has THORChain been hacked?

THORChain suffered several exploits in 2021 totaling approximately $25M. The protocol was upgraded, compensated all affected users, and has operated securely since then.

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THORChain

Decentralized Cross-Chain Liquidity Protocol

Launch Year

2021

Consensus

Proof of Bond (Tendermint)

Max Supply

500,000,000 RUNE

Block Time

~6 seconds

RUNE

THORChain

Price—

24h Change—

Market Cap—

Volume (24h)—

Circulating Supply—

Swap RUNE Now

No KYC or registration
Non-custodial — your keys, your crypto
1000+ supported exchange pairs
Best available exchange rate

THORChain Price Chart

RUNE / USD

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Data by CryptoCompare

About THORChain

THORChain (RUNE) is a decentralized cross-chain liquidity protocol that enables native cryptocurrency swaps across different blockchains without wrapping tokens or relying on centralized bridges. Users can swap native BTC for native ETH, or native LTC for native BNB, directly through THORChain's liquidity pools. RUNE is the settlement asset of THORChain — all liquidity pools pair external assets against RUNE, and node operators must bond RUNE to secure the network. THORChain uses a unique security model where the value of bonded RUNE always exceeds the value of assets in the pools, making attacks economically irrational.

History

2018

THORChain conceptualized and whitepaper published as a solution to cross-chain liquidity without centralized bridges.

2019

THORChain raises funds and begins development of the cross-chain swap protocol.

2021

THORChain mainnet launches; protocol suffers multiple exploits totaling $25M, later compensated by the treasury.

2022

THORChain fully recovers and reaches record TVL; lending and borrowing features announced.

2023

THORChain lending launches, enabling borrowing against native BTC and ETH collateral without liquidation risk.

2024

THORChain processes billions in cross-chain volume; ecosystem expands with streaming swaps and new chains.

How to Swap RUNE

Swapping THORChain (RUNE) on SyntheticSwap is simple and requires no registration or KYC. Connect your personal crypto wallet, select RUNE as your source or destination asset, enter your receiving wallet address, and confirm the live exchange rate. Once you send RUNE to the deposit address provided, SyntheticSwap processes the exchange automatically and delivers the destination asset directly to your wallet. No personal information is collected — fully non-custodial from start to finish.

How to Store RUNE

RUNE is the native token of THORChain and can be stored in THORChain-compatible wallets. XDEFI Wallet (now Ctrl Wallet) and Trust Wallet support native RUNE. The Asgardex desktop client is the official THORChain frontend for swapping and providing liquidity. RUNE also exists as a BEP-2 (BNB Chain) token, supported in Ledger hardware wallets via Binance Chain app.