How can we bridge assets from an Ethereum layer 1 contract to zkEVM? Is there an approval process for launching our own token for trading on marketplaces? Does setting up a Polygon mainnet contract require any bridging to zkEVM?

As of now, the Polygon zkEVM native bridge only supports ERC20 tokens. It does not support bridging NFTs.

Yes, users would need to approve their tokens/assets to be traded on marketplaces and decentralized exchanges (DEXs). Since these platforms are built on smart contracts, the smart contract requires approval from the token/asset holder before they can be traded.

As mentioned earlier, the current version of the Polygon zkEVM native bridge only supports ERC20 tokens. It does not have support for bridging NFTs.