Horizen Blog — Horizen is the ecosystem for private DeFi. EVM-native, built on Base. — Page 5

The Broken Promise of DeFi

DeFi was supposed to be our escape. It promised a permissionless, borderless, bankless finance. A parallel world where control shifted from institutions to individuals. But DeFi forgot to lock the door behind us somewhere along the way. Every on-chain action, from token transactions to staking yields, is visible to anyone with a block explorer and a basic blockchain understanding. We escaped the bank, but walked straight into a glasshouse. And while we can still move our money freely, the wor...

Mainnet Node Software Upgrade: ZEN 5.0.7 is Available to Download

The new version ZEN 5.0.7 is available to download on GitHub and via Docker. Action required: Update to ZEN 5.0.7 before June 11th, 2025. Download ZEN 5.0.7- NowZEN 5.0.7 is the official Release for Mainnet and TestnetZEN 5.0.6 is going to deprecate on Mainnet at block #1783180, on June 11th, 2025 at approximately 01:00 PM UTC.ZEN 5.0.7 will not perform any network upgrade on Mainnet via Hard ForkNodes running on Mainnet and Public Testnet should be updated with this version.Please let us kno...

Get Ready for ZEN’s Big Move to Base

Get ready, Horizen community! We're embarking on a major upgrade, moving ZEN onto the Base blockchain. This involves ZEN becoming a standard ERC-20 token on Base and launching our privacy-first appchain. We're bringing all our unique strengths, especially our expertise in privacy technology, and plugging them into one of the fastest-growing ecosystems in Web3. This isn't just a technical shift; it's a strategic leap designed to unlock massive potential for ZEN and, most im...

ZenIP 42409: ZenIP 42407 Addendum, Horizen 2.0 Tokenomics Proposal

There is a new ZenIP Proposal that recently passed, ZenIP 42409, which is an Addendum to ZenIP 42407: Horizen Tokenomics Proposal. The timeline for the vote on ZenIP 42409 was that voting opened on Monday, April 21st, 2025, at 12pm EST, and closed on Thursday, April 24th, 2025, at 12pm EST. With a quorum of 142% and 99.39% (1.1M $ZEN) of the votes FOR, the proposal passed! The full results of the vote can be found on Snapshot here. Let’s review this ZenIP proposal below, and we’ll also remind...

Mainnet Node Software Upgrade: ZEN 5.0.6 is Available to Download

The new version ZEN 5.0.6 is available to download on GitHub and via Docker. Download ZEN 5.0.6- NowZEN 5.0.6 is the official Release for Mainnet and Testnet.ZEN 5.0.5 is going to deprecate on Mainnet at block #1730680, on March 11th, 2025 at approximately 1:00 PM UTC.Please, update to ZEN 5.0.6 before March 11th, 2025.ZEN 5.0.6 will not perform any network upgrade on Mainnet via Hard Fork.Nodes running on Mainnet and Public Testnet should be updated with this version.See release notes Here P...

Horizen’s Next Chapter on Base Begins!

*We are thrilled to announce that the Horizen community has overwhelmingly approved ZenIP 42406 Addendum, with 99.71% of votes in favor.* This pivotal governance decision marks the beginning of Horizen's transition to Base, Coinbase's Layer 2 network, as an appchain optimized for privacy-preserving apps. Base is an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) offering a secure, low-cost, builder-friendly way for anyone, anywhere, to build onchain. An appchain is a dedicated Layer 3 blockchain that rolls u...

Horizen DAO Special Council Vote - February 2025 Results

On February 15th, 2025, the Horizen DAO held a Special Council vote, marking a significant event in the governance of the Horizen ecosystem. This vote was open for 7 days, closing on February 22nd, 2025. Who Won the Election? Two newcomers joined the Horizen Special Council - Johncarlo (Psyrax) and Domenico (Sodiomayor). We also saw a Special Council member return, Ben Charbit. Here was the breakdown of voting results:Johncarlo: 25.96%Domenico: 17.33%Ben Charbit: 16.71%Sean Sullivan: 11.59%Ma...

Horizen 2.0 Upgrade Status and Timeline

The Horizen 2.0 upgrade is progressing smoothly, with key technical milestones already reached and a clear timeline ahead. The preparation for the migration of $ZEN to the new network is complete, ensuring a seamless token claiming process for holders for the June 2025 mainnet launch. Horizen 2.0 is currently running on an internal Devnet while the team conducts various quality assurance and testing in preparation of the public testnet launch. We wanted to provide a summary of the Horizen 2.0...

How Will Zero-Knowledge Proofs Shape Our Digital Future

In a world where privacy, security, and efficiency are increasingly important, Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are emerging as a revolutionary technology that has the potential to transform our digital lives. ZKPs are not just a niche cryptographic concept—they have the potential to change how we interact online, handle sensitive data, and transact in the digital economy.What Are Zero-Knowledge Proofs?Zero Knowledge Proofs are cryptographic techniques that allow one party (the “prover”) to prove...

Horizen 2024 Year-End Recap

2024: A Transformative and Defining Year for Horizen2024 has been nothing short of transformative for Horizen. From groundbreaking upgrades to enhanced tokenomics and a bold brand refresh, this year marked a defining moment in our journey. Here are some of the year’s most significant achievements:Horizen 2.0 Upgrade and New Tokenomics for ZEN: The preparation for the upgrade is full steam ahead!Removal of shielded pools: Reduced regulatory risks for $ZEN so we can bring privacy through innova...

Build Smarter dApps with Real-Time Data on Horizen

Horizen is integrating Goldsky, Web3’s real-time data platform, to provide high-performance blockchain indexing, instant subgraphs, and customizable data streaming pipelines. This integration gives developers the tools to build powerful dApps faster, with richer data and greater responsiveness on Horizen. Goldsky streams live blockchain data directly into applications, enabling advanced analytics, automated workflows, and interactive experiences across Horizen’s privacy-first ecosystem. Horiz...

Welcome to Privacy on Base

A new chapter for onchain privacy begins today. Horizen has officially launched its mainnet on Base, bringing a practical and compliance-friendly path to private onchain activity - one that fits seamlessly into the Ethereum environment millions already use. This launch completes our transition from an isolated proof-of-work chain to a fully EVM-native chain that settles to Ethereum. For everyday users, this shift means faster transactions, lower fees, and access to tools and apps that feel fa...

ZenIP 42409: ZenIP 42407 Addendum, Horizen 2.0 Tokenomics Proposal

There is a new ZenIP Proposal that recently passed, ZenIP 42409, which is an Addendum to ZenIP 42407: Horizen Tokenomics Proposal. The timeline for the vote on ZenIP 42409 was that voting opened on Monday, April 21st, 2025, at 12pm EST, and closed on Thursday, April 24th, 2025, at 12pm EST. With a quorum of 142% and 99.39% (1.1M $ZEN) of the votes FOR, the proposal passed! The full results of the vote can be found on Snapshot here. Let’s review this ZenIP proposal below, and we’ll also remind...

How to Stake ZEN on Horizen Mainnet

ZEN Staking is Open. Stake Now before Reward Distribution Begins on Monday, July 27.

• Privacy
• Horizen
• Staking

Trade With Proof, Not Trust: How Obscura Is Making Reputation Private and Verifiable

Horizen Ecosystem Builder Spotlight: Obscura

• Privacy
• Verification
• Zk

$ZEN Staking is Back on Horizen

The Horizen DAO voted to approve a new $ZEN staking program on Horizen, aligning token holders with long-term ecosystem growth and participation.

• $zen
• Staking
• Horizen