Key Highlights
- Horizen launched its mainnet on Base, fully EVM-compatible and privacy-focused.
- ZEN token is now an ERC-20 on Base, available on major exchanges with a fixed supply of 21 million.
- Developers can build privacy apps using familiar tools, with infrastructure and grants supporting early growth.
Horizen, a privacy-focused appchain, has launched its mainnet on the Base chain, marking a new phase for privacy-enabled blockchain projects. The launch transitions the network from a closed proof-of-work chain to a full EVM-native chain, directly linking to the Ethereum ecosystem.
According to the team, this move gives users a path for private, compliant, and fast onchain transactions. Users can now enjoy faster transactions, lower fees, and familiar tools and apps that are widely used on Ethereum and Base. The network’s native token, ZEN, has already migrated to Base as an ERC-20 token while maintaining its fixed total supply of 21 million units.
The mainnet launch introduces Horizen as a high-performance Layer 3 blockchain, which settles transactions securely on Base and Ethereum. This setup lets users enjoy quick finality and smooth use of privacy apps.
Ready-to-use apps and developer tools
According to the blog post, from the first day, Horizen’s ecosystem has applications like Gamblor and Hubz VCE, which showcase early privacy-focused use cases. The project has also partnered with industry players like Caldera, LayerZero, Stork, Den, and Goldsky to give developers the tools they need to build apps fast and safely. Builders can use Solidity, the programming language for Ethereum, and add privacy features like private swaps, selective disclosure, and identity control directly in their apps.
Horizen has also connected to zkVerify, a zero-knowledge proof system that deals with complex cryptography. Using this system, applications will be able to perform difficult computations without high fees or delays. In the next months, the network will support developers through the Horizen Developer Grant Program, with 1,000,000 ZEN to developers working on privacy apps in the fields of finance, gaming, SocialFi, and other services.
The Horizen Confidential Compute Environment (HCCE), expected in early 2026, will let developers run encrypted calculations directly onchain using Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).
With this launch, Horizen is now fully part of the Ethereum ecosystem while keeping its focus on privacy. As the team said, “A new chapter for onchain privacy begins today – bringing a seamless EVM-native environment designed for builders and users who want privacy that is practical, not complicated.” The network said this launch is only the start, and more tools, apps, and ways to use private blockchain features are coming soon.
Also Read: Circle Launches Privacy Stablecoin USDCx on Aleo Blockchain
