For years, Across Protocol was one of the few bridges that paid users in its own token: referral rebates in ACX, staking rewards for liquidity providers, and a long-running expectation among farmers that heavy bridge volume would eventually be rewarded again. In 2026 that model ended. Across has moved from a token-governed DAO to a U.S. company, and the ACX token is being retired. If you bridged through Across hoping for a future reward, or you hold ACX from earlier programs, the questions that matter now are different. This guide explains what changed, what you can still do, and how to avoid the fake portals that a token sunset inevitably attracts.
What Across does
Across is an intent-based cross-chain bridge. Instead of locking funds and waiting for a message to cross between chains, a user states what they want, for example “send 1,000 USDC from Arbitrum to Base”. Independent relayers front the funds on the destination chain within seconds, and are repaid later from a shared liquidity pool on Ethereum once the transfer is verified. Verification relies on UMA’s optimistic oracle; both projects were built by Risk Labs.
That design is why Across transfers are usually fast and quoted with no slippage. Across also co-authored ERC-7683, the cross-chain intents standard developed with Uniswap Labs, and its settlement layer is used by other apps and aggregators. The protocol reports more than $35 billion in cumulative volume. Official resources are the app at across.to and the documentation at docs.across.to.
How Across rewards used to work
Understanding the old programs helps explain why so many people still have small ACX balances or unclaimed rewards:
- Original airdrop. ACX launched in late 2022 with a distribution to early bridgers, liquidity providers and community members.
- Referral rewards. When someone bridged through your referral link, a share of their bridge fee was paid out in ACX. The share started at 40% of the fee and could rise to 80% as the referrer brought in more unique transfers or volume. The referrer kept 75% of that amount and the new user received 25%, which in practice worked as a fee rebate.
- LP staking with reward locking. Liquidity providers who staked their LP tokens earned ACX with a multiplier. It started at 1x and grew linearly to 3x over 100 days, but claiming any rewards reset it to 1x. That pushed LPs to leave rewards unclaimed for long periods.
- Monthly payouts. Accrued rewards became claimable on a monthly schedule, after the 15th of the following month.
Because of the multiplier and the monthly cycle, it is common for older users to have ACX sitting in the Rewards section of the app that they have never claimed.
The Bridge Across: from DAO to AcrossCo
In March 2026 Risk Labs opened a temperature check on a proposal called “The Bridge Across”. It asked token holders to approve moving the protocol from a DAO structure to a U.S. C-corporation, Across, Inc. (AcrossCo), arguing that a company could sign institutional deals more easily than a DAO. ACX jumped sharply on the news. The formal proposal passed in early April 2026, and Across later confirmed that the protocol had been transferred to AcrossCo.
The token side of the deal is what matters for readers of a rewards guide. ACX is being sunset. After January 8, 2027, the project says ACX will have no governance, utility or economic function. Before that date, holders have two exits, both at an implied value of $0.04375 per ACX, a premium to the market average when the plan was announced:
| Option | Terms | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Equity conversion | 1 ACX for 1 unit of AcrossCo equity, first come, first served | Minimum 250,000 ACX (smaller amounts considered if capacity remains); KYC; U.S. applicants must be accredited investors |
| USDC buyout | Fixed $0.04375 per ACX in USDC | Sanctions screening |
Both options close on January 8, 2027. The only official portal is exchange.across.to, and the official announcement is on the Across blog. The portal launch slipped from an earlier summer target because of legal diligence, which is worth remembering when you see screenshots claiming different dates.
What this means if you were farming Across
Put simply, there is no future ACX airdrop to farm. A token that is being bought back and switched off will not be used for a retroactive reward. If AcrossCo ever introduces a new incentive for bridge users, it would be a new program announced on across.to, not a continuation of ACX. Bridging through Across still makes sense when it is the cheapest or fastest route for a transfer you actually need, and the app usually shows a competitive quote. It no longer makes sense as speculative volume.
Exchange support has also thinned. Binance delisted ACX in August 2026 and KuCoin removed it in September 2026, with withdrawals allowed for a limited period afterward. If your ACX sits on a centralized exchange, check that exchange’s notices now, because you need the tokens in a self-custody wallet to use the official portal.
Step by step: dealing with leftover ACX and rewards
- Find all your ACX. Check your wallets for ACX on Ethereum and on any L2 where you may have received it. Then open across.to, connect the same wallet, and look at the Rewards page for unclaimed referral or staking rewards.
- Claim what is claimable. Unclaimed rewards are not worth anything to you after the deadline. If a claim is available in the official app, claiming it moves ACX into your wallet so it can be redeemed. Note that the staking multiplier no longer has much meaning when the token itself is being retired.
- Withdraw from exchanges. Move ACX off any exchange that still allows withdrawals, to a wallet you control.
- Choose an exit. Most retail holders will fall below the 250,000 ACX equity minimum, which leaves the USDC buyout. Larger holders weighing equity should read the full terms on exchange.across.to, including KYC and accreditation rules.
- Use the portal before the deadline. Open exchange.across.to by typing the address directly. Read the transaction prompt: you should see ACX going to an Across contract and USDC (or an equity application) coming back, nothing else.
- Revoke old approvals. Once done, revoke any lingering ACX and LP token approvals with a reputable approval checker.
Risks specific to Across right now
- Relayer risk. In July 2026 an attacker exploited a bug in Risk Labs’ off-chain relayer software for Solana, forging deposit events and draining roughly $4.5 million from relayer wallets. Across says no user funds were lost and all affected transfers were completed or refunded the same day; part of the funds was later returned. It is a reminder that intent bridges depend on off-chain infrastructure as well as contracts.
- Deadline risk. Tokens that are not exchanged by January 8, 2027 lose all function according to the project. Waiting until the last week invites congestion and mistakes.
- Thin markets. With major exchanges gone, selling ACX on the open market may come at a worse price than the fixed buyout. Compare before you trade.
- Regulatory screening. The buyout includes sanctions screening and the equity route includes KYC. Wallets that fail screening may not be able to use either option.
- LP exposure. If you still have liquidity in the Across pools, read the docs on current LP terms. Fee income and rewards are separate questions from the safety of your principal.
How to spot fake Across claim pages
A token buyout with a hard deadline is ideal bait for phishing. These checks cover the common attacks:
- The buyout portal is exchange.across.to. Variants such as “across-exchange”, “acx-buyout”, “across-claim” or any domain that is not a subdomain of across.to are fake.
- The official X account is @AcrossProtocol. Impersonators reply to its posts with “portal closing in 2 hours” links; check the handle, not the avatar.
- The real buyout pays a fixed price. A site promising a “bonus” rate, an extra airdrop for redeeming early, or a “migration” to a new ACX token is a scam.
- No legitimate step requires approving tokens other than ACX, sending ETH as a “processing fee”, or entering a seed phrase.
- Random tokens named after Across that appear in your wallet are not part of the program. Do not interact with them.
FAQ
Will there be another Across airdrop?
Nothing has been announced, and the ACX token is being retired. Any new incentive would have to come from AcrossCo through across.to and its official X account.
Is the Across bridge still working?
Yes. The sunset concerns the token and governance. The bridge continues to operate under AcrossCo.
I only have a few hundred ACX. What should I do?
The equity option has a 250,000 ACX minimum, so the realistic route is the USDC buyout through exchange.across.to before January 8, 2027, or a market sale if that gives a better price.
What happens to ACX after the deadline?
According to the project, it loses all governance, utility and economic function. Tokens may still exist on-chain, but they will no longer be redeemable.
Verdict
Across remains a strong bridge, and that has not changed. What has changed is that there is nothing left to farm in ACX. The productive move now is housekeeping: find your balances and unclaimed rewards, use the official portal before the January 2027 deadline, and ignore every link that does not lead to across.to. This article is informational only and is not financial advice.
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