Chainlink Labs is seeking to make Wall Street a major source of the next phase of blockchain growth, with Andrew McCormick leading that effort as Head of Institutional and Market Development. McCormick joined the oracle network on June 4 after previously running eToro’s US operations. He argues that artificial intelligence will make launching blockchain networks trivially cheap, producing a proliferation of chains and strong demand for infrastructure connecting them. Chainlink sees its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol, or CCIP, as that infrastructure. The protocol supports cross-chain token transfers and messaging through a verification layer powered by Chainlink’s oracle network, helping institutions address liquidity fragmentation when tokenized assets and payment systems operate on different chains. Collaborations with DTCC, the central clearinghouse that processes the vast majority of US securities transactions, and J.P. Morgan’s blockchain unit Kinexys indicate that institutional interest is already developing. McCormick has advanced the thesis in a YouTube interview on June 30 and an appearance on the All-In Crypto Podcast in late July. His mandate includes engaging US banks and asset managers on blockchain integration, developing strategies for tokenized asset adoption, and running educational programs on blockchain’s utility, security, and interoperability. Chainlink’s broader argument is that interoperability is a prerequisite for institutional blockchain use, rather than an optional feature.