Learn how to bridge USDC from Fuji C-Chain to become the native gas token on your L1.

ERC-20 to Native Token Bridge

In this chapter, you'll bridge real USDC from Fuji C-Chain to your own L1, where it becomes the native gas token.

The Exercise

You will:

Get 1 USDC from the Circle faucet on Fuji
Create an L1 with Native Minter enabled
Deploy a bridge that converts USDC → Native tokens
Bridge your 1 USDC to become 1 native token on your L1

USDC on Fuji C-Chain: 0x5425890298aed601595a70AB815c96711a31Bc65

Get testnet USDC from the Circle Faucet (select "Avalanche Fuji" network, 1 USDC per request).

Use Case

This bridge type is ideal when:

You want to use an established stablecoin (like USDC) as your chain's gas currency
You need predictable gas costs for users (no volatile native token)
You're building for enterprise or regulated environments that prefer fiat-pegged tokens

Architecture Overview

Fuji C-Chain                              Your L1
┌──────────────────────────────┐         ┌──────────────────────────────┐
│                              │         │                              │
│  USDC (ERC-20)               │         │  Native Token (USDC-backed)  │
│  0x5425890298aed...1Bc65     │         │       ↑                      │
│       ↓                      │         │  NativeTokenRemote           │
│  ERC20TokenHome   ───────────│─────────│  (calls Native Minter)       │
│  (locks USDC)                │   ICM   │                              │
│                              │         │                              │
└──────────────────────────────┘         └──────────────────────────────┘

Contracts Involved

Contract	Chain	Purpose
USDC	Fuji C-Chain	The ERC-20 token we're bridging (`0x5425890298aed601595a70AB815c96711a31Bc65`)
ERC20TokenHome	Fuji C-Chain	Locks USDC when bridging out, releases when bridging back
NativeTokenRemote	Your L1	Calls Native Minter to create native tokens
Native Minter Precompile	Your L1	System contract that mints native tokens

Key Requirement: Native Minter Precompile

Your L1 must have the Native Minter precompile enabled. This precompile:

Is a built-in Avalanche L1 feature
Allows authorized contracts to mint native tokens
Must be configured in the chain's genesis
Address: 0x0200000000000000000000000000000000000001

Important: You'll create an L1 with Native Minter enabled as the first step of this chapter.

Collateral Requirement

Native-token bridging requires collateral to back the minted supply:

Initial Reserve Imbalance: Set during NativeTokenRemote deployment
Collateral Deposit: USDC deposited to back the minted native supply
Full Collateralization: Required before bridging is enabled

Since the Circle faucet gives you 1 USDC, we'll create an L1 with an initial supply backed by that 1 USDC.

Deployment Flow

Step	Action	Chain
1	Get 1 USDC from Circle faucet	Fuji C-Chain
2	Create L1 with Native Minter	Fuji (P-Chain)
3	Set up relayer	Local (Docker)
4	Deploy ERC20TokenHome for USDC	Fuji C-Chain
5	Deploy NativeTokenRemote	Your L1
6	Register + Collateralize with 1 USDC	Your L1 → Fuji
7	Bridge USDC → Native	Fuji → Your L1

What You'll Achieve

By the end of this chapter:

Your L1 uses USDC as the native gas token
You've bridged 1 USDC to get 1 native token on your L1
The bridge is fully collateralized and secure

Token Backing: Every native token minted on your L1 is backed 1:1 by USDC locked in the ERC20TokenHome contract on Fuji.

Introduction