How does a blockchain decide which transactions are valid? The answer is consensus. It is the process that allows thousands of computers to agree on the same version of a digital ledger.
Zano uses a combination of Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS) to help maintain network security, resilience, and participation.
A blockchain is maintained by a network of computers called nodes. These nodes need to agree on which transactions happened and in what order.
Consensus is the process that makes this agreement possible. Without it, different computers could have different versions of the ledger, making digital money unreliable.
2. How Zano’s Hybrid Model Works
Zano uses a hybrid consensus model, alternating blocks between Proof of Work and Proof of Stake.
Some blocks are produced by miners, while others are produced by stakers. Regardless of how a block is created, the result is the same: a verified addition to the blockchain.
This approach combines the security benefits of mining with the participation and resilience of staking.
3. Proof of Work: The Mining Side
In Proof of Work, miners compete to solve a computational puzzle. The first miner to find a valid solution can propose the next block.
Zano’s mining is GPU-friendly, allowing participants to use graphics processing units to contribute to block production.
In simple terms, miners use computing power to help secure the network and confirm transactions.
4. Proof of Stake: The Staking Side
Proof of Stake allows Zano holders to participate in block creation and validation by running a Zano node and staking their coins.
Stakers earn rewards for helping keep the network operating honestly and reliably.
According to Zano’s model, there are no lockups or minimum staking requirements, and it does not support delegated staking. Each staker operates their own wallet rather than handing control to a large staking pool.
This design aims to keep participation more distributed among individual coin holders.
5. Why Combine Both Methods?
The hybrid approach provides multiple layers of protection and helps the network remain resilient.
Proof of Work contributes computational security, while Proof of Stake allows coin holders to participate directly in network operations. Staking can also help maintain block production when mining activity changes.
For users, the important outcome is that transactions continue to be confirmed on a single, verified ledger. This helps protect against issues such as double spending.
6. Key Takeaway
Zano’s hybrid consensus combines mining and staking to support a secure and distributed blockchain.
By involving both miners and coin holders, the model is designed to provide resilience while supporting Zano’s broader goal of private digital money and the assets built on its network.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Cash has a simple privacy advantage: when you hand someone cash, there is usually no public record showing what you bought, how much you paid, or who received it.
For centuries, cash has allowed people to make everyday payments without creating a permanent public financial record.
You hand someone a €50 note, and the transaction is finished.
There is no public blockchain showing your balance, payment amount or transaction history.
2. The Problem With Transparent Blockchains
With transparent blockchains such as Bitcoin, transaction information is publicly visible on-chain.
This can allow anyone to examine transaction history and potentially track the movement of funds.
Your financial activity can become much more permanent than it would be with cash.
3. Zano Brings Cash-Like Privacy On-Chain
Zano takes a different approach.
Zano is designed so that transactions are private by default at the protocol level. Users don’t need to activate a separate privacy feature.
The idea is simple:
Cash-like privacy, but with digital money.
4. What Zano Keeps Private
Zano’s privacy technology is designed to hide important transaction details, including:
Sender
Receiver
Amount
Asset type
Ring signatures help hide the sender, stealth addresses protect the receiver, and cryptographic commitments hide transaction amounts.
For someone looking at the blockchain from the outside, these details are not publicly exposed.
5. Privacy Without Giving Up Choice
Privacy does not mean everything has to remain hidden forever.
Zano also supports auditable wallets, allowing users or organisations to selectively provide transaction and balance information when verification is required.
So the approach is:
Private by default. Reveal when you choose.
6. A Different Kind of Digital Money
Digital money doesn’t have to mean giving up the privacy people have traditionally expected from cash.
Zano is building a blockchain where financial privacy is part of the protocol rather than an optional add-on.
Cash is private by nature. Zano aims to bring that idea on-chain. 🔒
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Most people trade crypto through centralized exchanges. You deposit your coins, make a trade, and the exchange takes care of the rest.
But there is another way.
Zano lets users trade directly with each other without giving their coins to a centralized exchange.
This is possible through Ionic Swaps, a built-in feature of the Zano blockchain.
In simple terms, Ionic Swaps allow two people to exchange crypto assets directly, while keeping control of their funds and protecting their transaction privacy.
Your wallet is where you keep control of your funds and where you can create or accept an Ionic Swap. The official Ionic Swaps guide also includes screenshots showing the different steps, so readers can follow along visually.
In simple terms, if you want to create a swap:
Open your Zano wallet and select the Swap tab.
Choose the asset you want to sell and the asset you want to receive.
Enter the amount and the wallet address or alias of the person you want to trade with.
Set an expiration time for the swap.
Create the proposal and share the generated swap code with the other trader.
If you receive a swap proposal, you can open the Swap tab in your wallet, select Confirm Swap, enter the proposal code, check the trade details and accept the proposal. The swap is then submitted to the Zano blockchain.
For users who want an easier way to find trades, Zano Trade provides a platform where you can browse available offers, while the actual exchange is handled through Ionic Swaps on the Zano blockchain.
3. How Do Ionic Swaps Work?
The process is easier than it might sound.
Step 1: Create a trade offer
You choose:
What you want to sell
What you want to receive
How much you want to trade
The price or exchange rate
Step 2: Someone accepts your offer
Another user finds your offer and decides they want to make the trade.
Step 3: The swap is created
Both sides agree to the transaction and sign it from their own wallets.
Step 4: The blockchain completes the trade
The transaction is processed on the Zano network.
The basic idea is:
Both sides get what they agreed to, or the trade does not happen.
This means users don’t have to simply trust the other person to send their side of the deal.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Zano is preparing to give users more ways to use their digital assets.
With the upcoming Zano Execution Layer, users could eventually be able to lend, borrow, earn yield and provide liquidity using $ZANO and Confidential Assets such as $FUSD.
If terms like “DeFi” or “liquidity” sound complicated, don’t worry. Here’s what it means in simple terms.
The Zano Execution Layer is being developed to bring more financial features to the Zano ecosystem.
Today, Zano can be used for private transactions and managing private digital assets.
The Execution Layer could take this further by allowing users to use their assets in different financial activities.
Simply put:
More ways to use your assets, while keeping privacy at the centre.
2. What could you do with it?
Zano says the Execution Layer will make activities such as these possible:
Lending
Borrowing
Earning yield
Providing liquidity
These are common activities in DeFi, which simply means using blockchain-based applications for financial services.
You don’t need to be a crypto expert to understand the basic idea.
It’s about giving your digital assets more uses than simply holding or sending them.
3. What does lending mean?
Imagine you have some $ZANO that you don’t need right now.
In the future, you could potentially lend those assets through a DeFi application and receive a return.
It’s similar to putting your money to work instead of simply leaving it unused.
The exact lending system and rates for Zano have not yet been announced.
4. What does borrowing mean?
Borrowing could allow users to access another asset without necessarily selling their $ZANO.
For example, you could potentially use your ZANO as collateral and borrow another asset.
This could be useful if you need access to funds but don’t want to sell your crypto.
The exact rules and requirements will depend on how the future Zano applications are designed.
5. What does earning yield mean?
Yield simply means earning a return from your assets.
Instead of only holding your assets, you could potentially put them into a DeFi application and earn something in return.
However, earning yield does not mean guaranteed profit.
DeFi can involve risks, so users should understand how a product works before putting their assets into it.
6. What does providing liquidity mean?
Liquidity simply means making your assets available so other people can trade between different assets.
For example, a decentralized exchange needs assets available in its pools so users can swap between them.
People who provide those assets may receive rewards.
The exact details of how liquidity provision will work on Zano have not yet been announced.
7. What about $ZANO and $FUSD?
Zano specifically mentioned $ZANO and Confidential Assets such as $FUSD..
This could be interesting because $FUSD is a private stablecoin within the Zano ecosystem.
The goal is to give users more ways to use these assets within the ecosystem instead of simply holding or transferring them.
8. Why is this interesting?
For everyday users, the biggest change could be simple:
Your Zano assets could have more uses.
Instead of just:
Buy → Hold → Send
the future could look more like:
Hold → Lend → Borrow → Earn → Provide Liquidity
And privacy remains an important part of the Zano approach.
The idea is to bring more financial functionality to an ecosystem built around private digital assets.
9. What happens next?
The Zano Execution Layer is still coming soon, so there are many details we don’t know yet.
Zano has not announced all the specific applications, rates, requirements or risks involved.
For now, the direction is clear.
Zano is looking beyond private payments and exploring what private digital assets can do next.
If the Execution Layer delivers on this vision, users could eventually have more ways to use and interact with their assets, while keeping privacy at the heart of the experience.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Staking is a way of helping a blockchain network operate and stay secure.
Instead of using computers to mine blocks, people can stake their coins and help the network confirm transactions and create new blocks.
Generally, the more someone stakes, the greater their chance of being selected to create a block.
This can create a privacy problem because many Proof of Stake networks make staking amounts visible.
2. What Is Zarcanum?
Zarcanum is Zano’s privacy focused Proof of Stake technology.
It was designed to solve a simple but important problem: how can a network use someone’s stake without publicly revealing how much they have?
Zarcanum uses cryptography to hide the amount being staked while still allowing the network to verify that everything is valid. Zano describes it as the first Proof of Stake scheme designed with hidden amounts.
If you want to understand Zarcanum in more detail, we have already covered it here:
The organiser needs to know that you qualify to participate, but does not necessarily need to know your exact score.
Zarcanum uses cryptography to achieve something similar.
The network can verify that your stake is valid and use it when deciding who can create a block without publicly revealing the exact amount. Zano’s documentation explains that confidential transactions, commitments, range proofs and ring signatures work together to hide the amount and staking output while still allowing the network to verify the block.
For everyday users, the main idea is:
Your stake can help secure the network without exposing how much you have staked.
4. Why Does This Matter?
On a transparent blockchain, visible staking information can reveal more about someone’s financial position.
For people who value financial privacy, that may be information they would rather keep private.
Zano’s approach allows staking and financial privacy to work together.
Instead of choosing between Proof of Stake and privacy, Zarcanum was designed to provide both.
5. Zarcanum Is Already Live
Zarcanum is not just a future plan.
The Zarcanum upgrade went live on the Zano mainnet in 2024, introducing private Proof of Stake with hidden amounts and Confidential Assets.
The technology also forms the foundation for Zenith, Zano’s planned move to a fully Proof of Stake network. Zenith is designed to keep staking private while making the network more efficient.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Bitcoin started with a simple idea: people should be able to send money directly to each other without needing a bank in the middle.
But Bitcoin transactions are publicly recorded, meaning wallet addresses, amounts and transaction history can be analysed. Zano takes a different approach by making privacy part of the network from the beginning.
🎥 From Bitcoin’s Original Vision to Zano’s Private Digital Economy 👇
Bitcoin can be brought into the Zano ecosystem and represented as BTCx, allowing users to benefit from Zano’s privacy features while maintaining exposure to Bitcoin.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Bitcoin was created with a simple idea: people should be able to send money directly to each other without a bank in the middle.
But Bitcoin transactions are public. Anyone can look at the blockchain and follow the history of a Bitcoin from one wallet to another.
Zano is taking a different approach. By bridging Bitcoin (BTC)to Zano, users can receive BTCx, a Bitcoin-backed asset designed to provide greater privacy and restore fungibility.
Fungibility simply means that one unit is equal and interchangeable with another unit of the same thing.
For example, if you have a €20 note and someone gives you another €20 note, you normally do not care which specific note you receive.
Money should ideally work the same way.
With Bitcoin, however, every transaction is recorded on a public blockchain. This means the history of individual coins can be tracked.
Zano argues that privacy is important for true fungibility because coins should not be treated differently based on where they have previously been.
2. Why Bitcoin’s History Matters
Bitcoin’s public history makes transactions easy to track.
Blockchain analysis can be used to follow where coins have moved and identify their previous activity. This can create a situation where someone may look at a Bitcoin differently because of its transaction history.
The Bitcoin itself has not changed. Only its history is visible.
This is where fungibility becomes important. If every Bitcoin can be traced and potentially judged by its past, then not every Bitcoin may be treated exactly the same.
3. What Is Confidential Layer?
Confidential Layer is a decentralized bridge that connects assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum with Zano’s private blockchain. It allows users to bring their existing crypto assets into Zano and use them with Zano’s privacy features.
In simple terms, you can think of it as a bridge between two blockchains.
For Bitcoin, the process looks like this:
BTC → Confidential Layer → BTCx on Zano
The original BTC is locked on the Bitcoin network, while a corresponding wrapped version, BTCx, is created on Zano and backed 1:1 by the original asset.
On Bitcoin, transaction information is publicly visible. On Zano, confidential transactions can hide important details such as the amount being transferred and the addresses involved.
This gives BTCx a different experience from regular BTC.
Instead of every BTCx being publicly linked to its previous movements, Zano’s privacy system is designed to make individual BTCx units difficult to distinguish from one another.
In simple terms:
BTC has a visible history. BTCx is designed to keep that history private.
5. Why This Could Matter
Bitcoin made it possible to send money without relying on a bank.
The next question is whether people should also be able to use digital money without exposing their entire transaction history to the public.
That is the problem Zano is trying to address with BTCx.
By bringing Bitcoin into Zano’s private environment, users can keep exposure to Bitcoin while gaining access to a more private way of moving and using a Bitcoin-backed asset.
For people who value financial privacy, this could make BTCx an interesting bridge between Bitcoin’s liquidity and Zano’s privacy technology.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Privacy is one of Zano’s core features. By default, Zano transactions are private, meaning important details such as addresses and transaction amounts are hidden on the blockchain.
But there are situations where complete privacy is not always practical.
A business may need to prove its transactions to an auditor. A charity may want donors to see how funds are being used. An organization may need to demonstrate that it holds a certain amount of funds.
This is where Zano Auditable Wallets come in.
An auditable wallet allows you to give another person access to view your wallet’s balance and transaction history without giving them the ability to spend your funds.
In simple terms:
You can prove what happened without giving away control of your money.
2. Why Do Auditable Wallets Matter?
Traditional blockchains often make transaction information publicly visible. Privacy-focused blockchains take the opposite approach by hiding this information.
Zano offers another option: selective transparency.
You can keep your wallet private and only give visibility to the people you choose.
This creates a useful balance:
Privacy + Verification = Accountability without giving up control
Zano describes auditable wallets as an opt-in feature. Creating an auditable wallet does not weaken the privacy of other Zano users or the wider network.
3. How Do They Work?
An auditable wallet works through special viewing or tracking information.
Think of it like giving someone a read-only window into your bank account.
They can look through the window and see what is happening, but they cannot open the door and take your money.
The wallet owner remains in control of the funds.
Zano’s documentation explains that an auditable wallet has a special address format beginning with aZx, while regular Zano wallet addresses start with Zx.
The owner can generate a tracking seed, which can then be shared with someone who needs to audit the wallet. That tracking information allows the recipient to view the wallet’s balance and transaction history without being able to spend the funds.
4. What Can Someone See?
When you give someone access to audit your wallet, they can see information such as:
Your wallet balance
Incoming transactions
Outgoing transactions
Transaction history
Relevant transaction timestamps
This gives the person enough information to verify the wallet’s activity.
For example, imagine a charity receives 10,000 ZANO.
The charity could provide an auditor or donors with access to its auditable wallet. They could then verify the wallet’s activity without receiving the ability to move the funds themselves.
The important point is that visibility does not equal control.
5. What Can They Not Do?
An auditor does not receive the ability to spend the funds.
They cannot use the tracking information to:
Send your ZANO
Move your funds
Take control of the wallet
Spend your balance
Zano’s documentation specifically describes the feature as allowing third parties to see balances and transaction history without permission to spend the funds.
This makes auditable wallets particularly useful when two parties need to establish trust.
Instead of saying:
“Trust me, the money is there.”
You can effectively say:
“Here is a way for you to verify it yourself.”
6. Real-World Use Cases
6.1 Charities and Nonprofits
Charities can use auditable wallets to provide greater financial transparency.
For example, a charity could allow donors or an independent auditor to verify incoming donations and outgoing payments without giving those people control over the wallet.
This can help demonstrate that funds are being managed as claimed.
6.2 Businesses
Businesses may need to prove balances or transaction activity to accountants, auditors, partners or other stakeholders.
An auditable wallet can provide the required visibility while keeping spending authority with the business.
6.3 DAOs and Crypto Organizations
Decentralized organizations often need to demonstrate how community funds are being managed.
An auditable wallet can allow selected members to verify treasury activity without exposing unrelated personal or financial information across the entire blockchain.
6.4 Reserve and Fund Verification
Organizations holding cryptocurrency reserves may also benefit from selective transparency.
Instead of publishing every financial detail publicly, they can give specific auditors or stakeholders access to verify relevant wallet activity.
6.5 Personal Use
The feature is not limited to companies.
An individual could use an auditable wallet when they need to prove their cryptocurrency holdings or transaction history to a specific person or organization while still keeping control of their funds.
7. Privacy and Accountability Can Coexist
One of the most interesting things about Zano’s approach is that privacy and transparency do not have to be opposites.
With a normal Zano wallet, privacy is the default.
With an auditable wallet, the owner can choose to provide visibility when there is a legitimate reason to do so.
And importantly, enabling an auditable wallet does not make everyone else’s Zano transactions visible. Zano describes auditable wallets as an opt-in transparency feature for situations where verification is needed.
This gives users more control over their financial information.
You decide who can see it, rather than the blockchain deciding for you.
8. The Bottom Line
Zano’s auditable wallets are designed to solve a simple but important problem:
How can you prove your financial activity without giving someone control of your money?
The answer is selective transparency.
You can keep the privacy that Zano is built around while giving a trusted person, organization, auditor or community the ability to verify your balance and transaction history.
For businesses, charities, DAOs and other organizations, this can make financial verification much easier.
For everyday users, the concept is simple:
Your money stays yours. Your privacy stays yours. But when you need to prove something, you can choose to show it.
That is the idea behind Zano’s auditable wallets: verify, don’t just trust.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to keep a stable value, usually around $1. But there is an important difference between a stablecoin that is simply stable and one that also protects your financial privacy.
On Zano, $fUSD and $DAIx are designed to bring dollar-based value into Zano’s private ecosystem.
Both are stablecoins or dollar-based crypto assets that can be used within the Zano ecosystem.
The main difference is where they come from:
$fUSD (Freedom Dollar) is a private stablecoin built directly on the Zano blockchain and designed to stay close to $1 USD.
$DAIx (Wrapped DAI) is a private version of DAI that operates on the Zano blockchain while retaining its connection to the original DAI asset..
Both benefit from Zano’s privacy technology.
2. What Is fUSD?
fUSD stands for Freedom Dollar.
It is a decentralized stablecoin built on the Zano blockchain. Its goal is to maintain a value close to $1, while allowing users to make private transactions.
Unlike traditional stablecoins that operate on transparent blockchains, fUSD uses Zano’s privacy features to hide transaction details such as the sender, receiver and amount.
DAIx is a wrapped version of DAI that operates as a Confidential Asset on Zano.
DAI is a well-known decentralized stablecoin designed to track the value of the US dollar. Zano’s technology allows DAI to be brought into its private ecosystem as DAIx.
This means users can use a dollar-based asset on Zano while benefiting from the network’s privacy features. Zano’s documentation confirms DAIx as its Wrapped Dai asset.
In simple terms:
DAIx = DAI + Zano privacy.
4. Why Privacy Matters
Many stablecoins operate on public blockchains where transaction information can be viewed and analyzed.
Zano takes a different approach.
Its Confidential Assets are designed so that transaction details are hidden from outside observers. This applies to assets such as stablecoins as well as other tokens running on Zano.
This can provide users with more financial privacy when sending, receiving or holding stable-value assets.
5. What Makes Zano Different?
Zano is designed to make privacy the default, rather than something users need to turn on.
That means users can hold and transact with supported confidential assets without publicly revealing their balances, transaction amounts or counterparties.
For fUSD, the protocol also states that there is no central authority with the ability to freeze funds in a user’s wallet.
This is the point behind Zano’s latest message:
A stablecoin that can be frozen is still worth a dollar. It just isn’t your dollar.
6. What This Means for Users
The idea is simple.
A stablecoin can provide the stability of the US dollar, but users may also want privacy and control over their money.
With fUSD, Zano offers a dollar-based stablecoin built directly around privacy.
With DAIx, users can bring the familiar DAI asset into Zano’s private ecosystem.
Together, they show how Zano is trying to build a private financial ecosystem where stable-value assets can be used without putting every transaction on public display.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Make sure you can attend Common S3nse in Amsterdam on September 4–5.
3. When Will Winners Be Chosen?
Zano says the three winners will be selected on August 21, 2026.
That gives participants a few days to submit their answers and take part in the giveaway.
4. What Is Common S3nse?
If you are not familiar with Common S3nse, it is a crypto-focused event covering topics around privacy, security, freedom and the future of cryptocurrency.
For Zano, the event is another opportunity to connect with the wider crypto community and highlight the importance of privacy in the growing digital asset ecosystem.
Disclaimer: ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
Its main blockchain, or Layer 1, is designed to keep transactions, amounts and other financial information private.
But there is one area where Zano has not traditionally focused: smart contracts.
Smart contracts are programs that run on a blockchain. They power things like decentralized exchanges, lending platforms, token applications and other Web3 services.
So how can Zano add smart contracts without changing the privacy that makes Zano different?
The answer is Zano Execution Layer, or ZEL.
ZEL is designed to be a separate blockchain that works alongside Zano. It can handle smart contracts and other applications while Zano’s main blockchain continues to focus on privacy.
Zano is the private blockchain. ZEL is the smart-contract blockchain connected to it.
Zano’s main blockchain handles things such as:
Private transactions
Private ownership
Confidential Assets
Hidden transaction amounts
Hidden addresses
ZEL is designed to handle:
Smart contracts
Decentralized applications
Trading
Lending
Other EVM-based applications
Zano’s roadmap describes ZEL as an EVM-compatible sidechain. This means developers can use technology and tools similar to those used on Ethereum and other EVM networks.
In simple terms, ZEL gives Zano an additional place where smart contracts can run.
2. Why Does Zano Need ZEL?
This is easier to understand if we look at what Zano is designed to do.
Zano’s main blockchain is built around privacy.
When you make a transaction on Zano, information such as the amount and addresses can be protected.
Smart contracts work differently.
For smart contracts to operate properly, their activity generally needs to be visible and verifiable by the network.
For example, if you use a decentralized exchange, people need to be able to verify what the smart contract is doing.
This creates a challenge:
How can Zano add smart contracts without turning its private blockchain into a public one?
ZEL provides one possible answer.
Instead of putting smart contracts directly onto Zano’s private Layer 1, Zano can have a separate environment for smart contracts.
So:
Zano L1 = privacy
ZEL = smart contracts
This allows the two networks to focus on different jobs.
3. How Do Zano and ZEL Work Together?
Think of Zano and ZEL as two connected roads.
One road is designed for private activity.
The other is designed for public applications.
The connection between them is a bridge.
The basic journey looks like this:
Zano L1
↓
Bridge
↓
ZEL
You can move ZANO from the Zano blockchain to ZEL.
Once there, it can be used with smart contracts and applications on ZEL.
You can then move the value back to Zano.
The important thing is that ZEL does not replace Zano.
It works alongside it.
4. What Happens When ZANO Moves to ZEL?
This is one of the most important parts to understand.
Let’s say you have:
100 ZANO
on the Zano blockchain.
You want to use that ZANO on ZEL.
First, your 100 ZANO is locked on Zano.
Then, 100 ZANO is represented on ZEL.
So you effectively have:
100 ZANO on Zano → locked
100 ZANO on ZEL → available to use
The amount is intended to remain 1:1.
You can then use the ZANO on ZEL to interact with applications and pay transaction fees.
What happens when you want to come back?
The process works in reverse.
Your ZANO on ZEL is burned.
The corresponding ZANO locked on the Zano side is then released.
So the basic process is:
Lock → Move to ZEL → Use → Burn → Return to Zano
5. What Is the Bridge?
The bridge is the part that connects Zano and ZEL.
You can think of it like a secure doorway between two buildings.
Zano is one building.
ZEL is another.
The bridge allows assets to move between them.
The ZEL design uses a threshold-signature bridge.
That sounds complicated, but the basic idea is quite simple.
Instead of one person having a single key that can control the bridge, multiple authorized participants are involved.
A required number of them must work together to approve certain actions.
This reduces the risk of one person being able to control the funds by themselves.
Why is the bridge important?
Because the bridge is where the two networks meet.
Zano and ZEL are separate networks.
Therefore, users need to trust the mechanism that connects them.
This means the bridge is an important part of ZEL’s overall security.
6. Is ZEL Private Like Zano?
No.
This is extremely important.
Zano and ZEL have different purposes.
Zano
Zano’s Layer 1 is designed for privacy.
ZEL
ZEL is designed for public smart-contract activity.
Once ZANO moves to ZEL, activity on ZEL can be publicly visible.
For example, imagine you move:
1,000 ZANO → ZEL
The 1,000 ZANO is represented on ZEL.
If you then use it to:
Trade
Swap tokens
Use a lending application
Interact with a smart contract
Send it to another ZEL address
that activity takes place on the public ZEL network.
So users should not think of ZEL as another privacy layer.
A simple way to remember it is:
Zano protects your privacy. ZEL provides the smart-contract environment.
7. What Can People Do on ZEL?
The biggest reason for creating ZEL is to give developers a place to build applications connected to the Zano ecosystem.
Because ZEL is designed to be EVM-compatible, developers can use familiar smart-contract technology.
This could allow applications such as:
Decentralized exchanges
Users could potentially trade tokens through smart contracts.
Lending
Users could potentially lend assets or borrow against them.
Token applications
Developers could create different types of blockchain-based tokens.
DeFi applications
Developers could build financial applications using smart contracts.
Other Web3 applications
EVM compatibility could make it easier for developers already familiar with Ethereum-style development to work with ZEL.
8. Why Not Put Smart Contracts Directly on Zano?
This is probably the biggest question.
Why create another blockchain instead of simply adding smart contracts to Zano?
The answer comes back to privacy.
Zano’s main blockchain was built with privacy as a priority.
Smart contracts generally need public information about their code, state and execution so that users and network participants can verify what is happening.
Trying to make Zano L1 do both jobs could make its design much more complicated.
Instead, Zano can separate the two:
Zano L1
Private transactions and assets.
ZEL
Public smart-contract execution.
This means Zano does not necessarily have to give up its privacy-focused design just to gain access to smart contracts.
9. What Are the Risks?
ZEL also introduces some things users need to understand.
Because ZEL is a separate network, users are not relying only on Zano.
They also need to consider:
ZEL’s validators
ZEL’s network security
Smart-contract security
The bridge
The people or entities operating the bridge
The bridge is particularly important because it connects the value on Zano with its representation on ZEL.
House of Chimera’s analysis of ZEL describes the threshold-signature bridge as the main trust boundary between the two networks.
That does not automatically mean the system is unsafe.
It simply means users should understand that ZEL and Zano are separate systems with different security and trust assumptions.
10. Why Could ZEL Be Important for Zano?
Zano already has a clear identity:
A blockchain focused on financial privacy.
ZEL could add something that Zano has been missing:
Smart-contract functionality.
This could potentially make the Zano ecosystem more useful to developers and users.
Instead of trying to turn Zano into another Ethereum-like blockchain, the project is taking a different approach.
It can keep the private Layer 1 while providing another network for public applications.
This creates a simple division:
Zano
ZEL
Privacy
Smart contracts
Private transactions
Public transactions
Confidential Assets
EVM applications
Private ownership
DeFi and other applications
Zano L1
Separate execution layer
The idea is not necessarily to make Zano and ZEL identical.
It is to make them work together.
11. ZEL Explained in One Simple Example
Imagine you have €1,000 in a private bank account.
You want to use €500 of it in a public online marketplace.
You move €500 from your private account into the marketplace.
Once there, you can use it to buy things, trade or interact with different services.
The marketplace is public, so activity there can be visible.
When you’re finished, you move your money back into the private account.
The basic idea behind ZEL is similar:
Zano = private place where your value starts
↓
Bridge = moves the value
↓
ZEL = public place where smart contracts can be used
↓
Bridge = brings the value back
↓
Zano = private environment again
Of course, blockchain bridges are technically much more complicated than this example, but this is the basic concept.
12. A New Direction for Zano
ZEL could give Zano a way to expand into smart contracts without changing the main purpose of its Layer 1.
Instead of forcing privacy and public smart contracts into the same blockchain, the architecture separates them.
Zano handles privacy.
ZEL handles smart contracts.
The bridge connects them.
According to Zano’s roadmap, the ZEL public testnet is targeted for Q3 2026, with a mainnet target of Q4 2026. These are roadmap targets and can change as development continues.
If the system works as intended, ZEL could give developers a familiar EVM environment while allowing Zano’s main blockchain to remain focused on what it does best: privacy.
In simple terms, ZEL is Zano’s attempt to add smart contracts without turning Zano itself into a transparent smart-contract blockchain.
Disclaimer:ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice.
Imagine if your salary was posted on a public billboard every time you got paid. Your neighbours, employer, friends, and even strangers could see how much you earn, how much money you have, and every payment you make.
Most people would never accept that in everyday life.
Yet this is exactly how many transparent blockchains work.
A blockchain is a digital ledger that records transactions.
On many popular blockchains, every transaction is publicly recorded forever. While your real name may not appear, your wallet address, transaction history, balances, and transfers can often be viewed by anyone using a blockchain explorer.
If someone links your wallet address to your identity—perhaps because you shared it online, received a payment publicly, or interacted with a regulated exchange—they may be able to see much more than you intended.
This level of transparency is one of the defining features of many public blockchains.
2. Why Does Financial Privacy Matter?
Think about your everyday finances.
Your bank doesn’t publish your account balance.
Your employer doesn’t announce your salary to the public.
Your payment history isn’t available for anyone to browse.
That’s because financial privacy is something most people expect.
Privacy doesn’t mean you have something to hide. It means you have control over who can see your personal financial information.
Without that privacy, people may become targets for scams, phishing attacks, theft, or unwanted attention simply because their financial activity is publicly visible.
3. How Transparent Blockchains Can Expose Your Finances
Let’s go back to the salary example.
Imagine your employer pays you in cryptocurrency using a transparent blockchain.
Anyone who knows your wallet address could potentially see:
Your salary amount
Every payment you receive
Every payment you send
Your wallet balance
Your complete transaction history
Over time, someone could build a detailed picture of your financial life.
For businesses, this can also be a concern. Competitors may be able to track payments, suppliers, or business activity through public blockchain records.
While blockchain transparency helps with verification, it also means financial information can become far more public than many people expect.
4. Why Zano Was Built Differently
Zano takes a different approach.
Instead of making every transaction publicly visible, Zano was designed with financial privacy as a core feature.
By default, Zano protects important transaction details, including:
The sender
The recipient
The transaction amount
Wallet balances from public view
This allows users to send and receive digital assets without exposing their financial activity to the entire world.
Privacy on Zano isn’t an add-on or an optional setting. It is built directly into the blockchain protocol.
The goal is simple: digital money should provide a level of financial privacy similar to what people already expect when using their bank account or making everyday payments.
5. Privacy Is More Than Secrecy
Some people mistakenly believe privacy is only useful for people doing something wrong.
In reality, privacy protects everyone.
It helps individuals keep their salaries confidential.
It helps businesses protect sensitive commercial information.
It helps families keep their finances private.
Just as we lock the front door of our homes, use passwords for our online accounts, and expect our banking information to remain confidential, many people believe digital money should also protect personal financial information.
Privacy is about security, personal choice, and protecting sensitive information—not hiding illegal activity.
6. Key Takeaways
Many transparent blockchains make transaction history and wallet balances publicly visible.
If someone links your wallet address to your identity, they may be able to view your financial activity.
Financial privacy helps protect personal and business information from unwanted exposure.
Zano was built with privacy by default, keeping transaction details such as the sender, recipient, and amount confidential.
As blockchain adoption grows, protecting financial privacy is becoming an increasingly important consideration for users and businesses alike.
Disclaimer:ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice.
The Zano team has shared another preview of what users can expect after Hard Fork 6 (HF6).
Today, users can bridge cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) into the Zano ecosystem, where they inherit Zano’s built-in privacy features.
After Hard Fork 6, the process will work in both directions. Native ZANO and supported Confidential Assets will also be able to move out of the Zano network through the bridge, making cross-chain transfers more flexible.
2. How It Works Today
Currently, supported cryptocurrencies can be bridged from public blockchains into the Zano network.
Once they arrive on Zano, these assets inherit the network’s privacy features, allowing users to benefit from confidential transactions while continuing to use familiar cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, and SOL.
3. What Changes After Hard Fork 6
After Hard Fork 6 activates, Zano will support two-way cross-chain transfers.
This means:
BTC, ETH, and SOL can continue to be bridged into Zano and inherit its privacy features.
Native ZANO will be able to move from Zano to supported external blockchains.
Supported Confidential Assets will also be able to move to supported external networks.
This functionality is made possible by the new Gateway Addresses infrastructure introduced with Hard Fork 6. It is designed to simplify integrations for wallets, exchanges, payment providers, decentralized applications (dApps), and other blockchain services.
4. Why This Matters
Cross-chain transfers give users and developers more flexibility when moving assets between Zano and other blockchain ecosystems.
It could make it easier to:
Move assets between Zano and supported blockchains.
Improve interoperability across different blockchain networks.
Expand opportunities for wallets, exchanges, payment providers, and cross-chain services.
Bring Zano’s privacy technology to a wider range of blockchain users.
For people new to Zano, the concept is simple: assets can enter Zano to inherit its privacy features, and after Hard Fork 6, native ZANO and supported Confidential Assets can also move back to supported blockchains when needed.
5. What Is Hard Fork 6?
If you’d like to learn more about Hard Fork 6, visit our guide, where we explain the upgrade, Gateway Addresses, and how it could make Zano easier to integrate with wallets, exchanges, payment providers, and decentralized applications (dApps).
Disclaimer:ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice.
Most people assume cryptocurrency transactions are private. In reality, many blockchains are completely transparent. Anyone can view wallet addresses, transaction amounts, and the movement of funds. While this transparency has its benefits, it also exposes users to scammers, hackers, and companies that track financial activity.
Zano takes a different approach.
Instead of asking users to enable privacy, Zano makes every transaction private by default. This means your financial information is protected automatically every time you send or receive funds.
🎥 Watch the Video
Before diving into the article, watch Episode 5 of the Zano Explainer Series to see how Zano’s privacy technologies work together to protect every transaction.
Many popular blockchains are transparent by design. Anyone can view wallet addresses, transaction amounts, and the movement of funds. While transparency can be useful for verifying transactions, it also means your financial activity is visible to anyone.
This level of exposure can make users targets for scammers, hackers, data trackers, or anyone interested in monitoring how their cryptocurrency is used.
2. How Zano Protects Every Transaction
Zano was built with privacy at its core. Unlike many cryptocurrencies that require users to choose privacy features, Zano protects every transaction automatically.
Whenever you send or receive ZANO, multiple privacy technologies work together behind the scenes to keep your financial information confidential while ensuring every transaction remains secure and verifiable.
3. Ring Signatures Hide the Sender
When you send ZANO, your transaction is combined with several other possible senders using a technology called Ring Signatures.
Think of it as signing a document in a room full of people. Everyone appears to be a possible signer, making it impossible for outside observers to determine who actually sent the transaction.
This protects the identity of the sender without affecting the security of the network.
4. Stealth Addresses Protect the Receiver
Every time someone sends you ZANO, the network automatically creates a unique one-time address for that payment.
Imagine receiving every letter through a brand-new anonymous mailbox. Even if someone knows your wallet address, they cannot identify where your payments are being received.
Your real wallet address remains hidden, giving you greater privacy with every transaction.
5. Confidential Transactions Hide the Amount
On many blockchains, anyone can see exactly how much cryptocurrency was sent.
Zano uses Confidential Transactions to hide the amount while still allowing the network to verify that the transaction is valid.
This means the blockchain can confirm that no coins were created or destroyed, but the transaction amount remains private.
6. Privacy Without Sacrificing Security
Zano’s privacy model combines three powerful technologies that work together seamlessly:
Ring Signatures hide the sender.
Stealth Addresses hide the receiver.
Confidential Transactions hide the amount.
Together, these technologies make it extremely difficult to trace payments, link wallet balances, or build a financial profile based on blockchain activity.
At the same time, every transaction is still verified by the network, ensuring strong security without compromising user privacy.
7. Why Privacy by Default Matters
Financial privacy is becoming increasingly important as more people use cryptocurrency for everyday transactions. While many blockchains make transaction details publicly visible, Zano was designed to protect users automatically from the moment they create a wallet.
By making privacy the default rather than an optional feature, Zano helps users keep their financial activity confidential without requiring additional steps or technical knowledge.
Whether you’re sending funds to a friend, making a purchase, or simply storing your assets, Zano ensures that your privacy is protected while maintaining the security and integrity of the blockchain.
Disclaimer:ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice.
Privacy has always been one of the original goals of cryptocurrency. However, many blockchain networks still require users to manually enable privacy features or rely on additional tools to keep their transactions confidential.
Zano was built with a different philosophy. Instead of making privacy an optional setting, it makes privacy the default for every asset on the network. Whether you’re using the native $ZANO coin, private stablecoins like DAIx, or bridged assets such as $BTCx, $ETHx, and SOLx, privacy is already built into the blockchain.
This approach was recently highlighted in a post by House of Chimera, which explained how Zano removes the need for users to “switch privacy on” by making confidential transactions the standard experience.
Blockchain technology is often praised for its transparency, but complete transparency isn’t always ideal when it comes to personal or business finances.
On many public blockchains, anyone can view:
Wallet balances
Transaction history
Amounts sent and received
Wallet addresses interacting with one another
While this openness helps verify transactions, it also means financial activity can be viewed by anyone using a blockchain explorer.
For many users, keeping financial information private is just as important as keeping it secure.
2. How Privacy Works on Most Blockchains
Many privacy solutions are optional rather than automatic.
Users are often required to:
Turn privacy features on manually
Choose between public and private transactions
Use separate privacy applications or services
Learn additional settings before sending funds
If privacy isn’t enabled correctly, transaction details may remain publicly visible.
For people who are new to cryptocurrency, these extra steps can make privacy more complicated than it needs to be.
3. Why Zano Is Different
Zano was designed with privacy as one of its core principles.
Instead of asking users whether they want a transaction to be private, the network automatically applies privacy protections.
This means users don’t need to change settings or remember to activate confidential transactions before sending digital assets.
By removing these extra steps, Zano provides a simpler experience while helping users protect their financial information by default.
4. Privacy Across Every Asset
According to House of Chimera, Zano’s privacy model extends beyond its native cryptocurrency.
Privacy is available across multiple supported assets, including:
Other confidential assets created on the Zano blockchain
Because privacy is integrated into the blockchain itself, users benefit from the same confidential transaction model regardless of which supported asset they use.
5. The Benefits of Privacy by Default
Making privacy automatic offers several practical advantages for both individuals and businesses.
Some of the key benefits include:
Keeping wallet balances confidential
Protecting transaction history
Reducing exposure of financial activity
Eliminating the need for extra privacy settings
Making blockchain easier to use for newcomers
Rather than treating privacy as an advanced feature, Zano makes it part of the everyday user experience.
6. The Future of Private Blockchain
As blockchain technology continues to grow, more people are looking for digital assets that are secure, easy to use, and protect their financial privacy.
Zano shows that privacy doesn’t have to be an optional feature or require extra steps. By making confidential transactions the default for native coins, stablecoins, and bridged assets, the network offers a simpler and more user-friendly experience.
As cryptocurrency adoption increases, blockchains that make privacy automatic could become more important. Zano is helping shape that future by making private transactions a natural part of everyday blockchain use.
Disclaimer:ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice.
The Zano team recently shared an important message about fungibility—a key feature that every form of money should have.
Simply put, every coin should be worth the same and be accepted equally, regardless of who owned it before. Zano believes that privacy is essential to making this possible.
Fungibility means that every unit of money is equal.
For example, if someone gives you 1 BTC, it should have the same value and be accepted just like any other 1 BTC. The history of that coin shouldn’t affect whether you can use it.
This is one of the fundamental qualities of money.
2. The Problem with Transparent Blockchains
On transparent blockchains, every transaction is publicly recorded.
This means a coin carries its transaction history wherever it goes. If it was previously linked to suspicious activity, some exchanges or services may flag or reject it—even if the current owner had nothing to do with that history.
As a result, not every coin is always treated equally.
3. How Privacy Helps
Privacy-by-default changes this.
By keeping transaction details private, coins cannot easily be judged by their past history. Instead, every unit remains interchangeable, helping preserve the principle of fungibility.
This allows digital money to function more like physical cash, where one unit is treated the same as another.
4. Why It Matters
Fungibility is one of the foundations of a fair financial system. When every coin is treated equally, users don’t have to worry about the history of the funds they receive. For Zano, privacy is more than just protecting personal information—it’s about ensuring digital money remains fair, equal, and usable for everyone.
Disclaimer:ZanoNews.com is an independent news and information website. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice.
