> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cts-docs.cosmos.network/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connecting Networks

> Establishing a path from a bank's digital ledger to another network.

Connecting to a network is the process of establishing light clients, a
connection, and a channel between the bank's digital ledger and the counterparty
chain. Relayers then carry packets between them.

The Cosmos Tokenization Suite (CTS) network connectors handle this process.

See [How IBC Works](/ibc/how-it-works) for the function of each component. See
the [IBC documentation](https://docs.cosmos.network/ibc/latest/intro) for the
protocol detail.

## Network tiers

| Tier      | What it is                                   | Networks                                                                                                                         |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Public    | Permissionless networks                      | Ethereum, Solana, Base, EVM L2s including Arbitrum, Optimism, and Polygon zkEVM, Avalanche, Hedera, Ripple EVM, Hyperledger Besu |
| Consortia | Networks operated by a group of institutions | Canton, Cari, Agora, Progmat                                                                                                     |
| Private   | A single institution's own network           | Private chains including Kinexys, alongside direct connectivity to another deployment of CTS                                     |

Connections to off-chain systems are also supported and scoped per deployment.
Cosmos to Cosmos corridors use native IBC and need no additional connector.

A bank selects which networks are in scope during setup. The selection determines
which assets it can host and where clients can move its tokenized deposit.

## Connecting to another bank

Two banks that each run CTS connect their digital ledgers directly.
Neither bank needs the other's provider choices to match its own, and no central
settlement vendor sits between them.

The path supports 24/7 payments: coordination messages flow over IBC, while the
resulting obligations settle separately. See
[Settlement Asset Custody for 24/7 Payments](/digital-asset-custody/settlement-for-payments).

<Note>
  The page is a placeholder for the operational detail. The procedure for adding a
  network, relayer operation and monitoring, and the approval steps a bank applies
  before enabling a counterparty all still need to be documented.
</Note>

## Related

* [Overview](/ibc/overview)
* [Token Transfers](/ibc/token-transfers)