LayerZero Labs just dropped hot news that they’re building their own layer-1 blockchain called Zero Chain, backed by ARK Invest and Citadel Securities.
Set to go live in fall 2026, Zero Chain builds on LayerZero’s proven cross-chain magic, the same tech powering seamless messaging across ecosystems.
But here’s what’s special: Zero smashes through old limits using zero-knowledge proofs and the Jolt zero-knowledge virtual machine. Forget the usual bottlenecks that cap most blockchains at under 10,000 TPS.
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The blockchain targets a mind-blowing two million transactions per second by ditching the “replicate everything everywhere” rule that’s held everyone back.
Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero Labs, said that the Zero chain architecture leaps the whole industry forward by a solid decade.
“We believe we can actually bring the entire global economy on-chain with this technology,” he said.
What’s so special about Zero Chain?
Think dedicated playgrounds for smart contracts, payments, and high-stakes trading; they are all tied together by the network’s native token, LayerZero’s ZRO.
Now, ZRO hovering around $2.32 lately isn’t just along for the ride; it’s the governance powerhouse and the glue ensuring smooth interoperability between those zones and over 165 other chains.
A wave of big finance players are dipping toes into crypto as rules clarify and pipes get built.
Zero Chain pretty much arrives at the perfect moment
ARK Invest is grabbing equity in LayerZero plus ZRO tokens, while Citadel Securities made a strategic play into ZRO too.
Cathie Wood herself is stepping onto Zero chain’s new advisory board, joined by pros like Michael Blaugrund from Intercontinental Exchange (the folks behind NYSE) and Caroline Butler, ex-digital assets lead at BNY Mellon. Even Tether’s investment arm jumped in with a strategic stake on announcement day.
Google Cloud is teaming up to test AI agents for micropayments and trading with no bank account needed. Intercontinental Exchange is eyeing Zero for 24/7 trading and clearing setups, plus tokenized collateral plays.
DTCC sees it supercharging their tokenization services and collateral chains. Even the Global Token Exchange plans to build Turbo’s treasury layer right on Zero.
In that sense, Zero Chain is positioned to bridge TradFi and cryptocurrency like never before.
