How instant swaps work
Bread gives you the fastest on-chain path between bitcoin and stablecoins. Swaps execute in seconds across Solana and Base, with near-zero fees and no trading commission from Bread.
This is one of Bread’s core features — and it works very differently from how most people are used to trading crypto.
How a swap works
1. Choose your pair
In the app, tap “Swap” and select what you want to trade. Currently Bread supports swapping between bitcoin and USDC. You can go in either direction — BTC to USDC or USDC to BTC.
2. Bread finds the best route
When you enter an amount, Bread checks liquidity across integrated DEXs on both Solana and Base in real-time. It compares rates, fees, and slippage across every available path and selects the best one automatically.
You’ll see the rate, the estimated output, and any network fee before you confirm. There are no hidden spreads or markups.
3. Confirm and settle
Tap “Confirm” and the swap executes. On Solana, settlement takes about 400 milliseconds. On Base, a few seconds. Either way, your new balance appears in your wallet almost immediately.
Fees
Trading fees
Bread charges zero trading fees on swaps. No commission, no percentage cut, no spread markup. The price you see is the price you get.
Network fees
You pay the underlying network’s base transaction fee, which covers the cost of processing your swap on-chain. On Solana this is typically less than $0.01. On Base it’s similarly low. Bread doesn’t add anything on top.
Slippage
For most swap sizes, slippage is negligible. Bread sets a default slippage tolerance to protect you from sudden price moves. If the price shifts beyond this tolerance between when you confirm and when the transaction executes, the swap will revert and you keep your original assets.
Why it’s fast
Traditional bitcoin transactions on the base layer take 10–60 minutes to confirm. That’s because they need to be included in a block and receive multiple confirmations.
Bread avoids this entirely. Your bitcoin lives on Spark, which has instant finality. When you swap, the trade executes on Solana or Base — both of which settle in seconds. There’s no waiting for block confirmations, no pending state, no “transaction processing” screen.
Multi-chain routing
Bread is one of the only wallets that routes swaps across multiple networks automatically. If Solana has better liquidity for your pair, the swap goes through Solana. If Base has a tighter spread, it routes through Base.
You don’t choose the network — Bread does, based on what gives you the best outcome. This multi-chain approach means better rates and more consistent execution, especially during volatile markets when single-chain liquidity can thin out.
Supported pairs
Bread currently supports:
- BTC → USDC
- USDC → BTC
Additional pairs will be added over time. Each new pair goes through a liquidity and security review before being enabled — we’d rather offer fewer pairs that work perfectly than many that don’t.
Troubleshooting
Swap is taking longer than expected
Swaps typically settle in under 5 seconds. If yours is taking longer, it may be due to temporary network congestion. Your funds are safe — the transaction will either complete or revert. You won’t lose anything.
Swap reverted
If a swap reverts, it means the price moved beyond your slippage tolerance between confirmation and execution. Your original assets are returned to your wallet. Try the swap again — the new quote will reflect current market conditions.