Latest ZKsync (ZK) News Update

By CMC AI
22 February 2026 02:58AM (UTC+0)

What is the latest news on ZK?

TLDR

ZKsync is pivoting from legacy systems to enterprise-grade privacy infrastructure. Here are the latest news:

  1. ZKsync Unveils 2026 Roadmap (13 January 2026) – Focus shifts to bank-grade privacy chains and native interoperability for institutional adoption.

  2. ZKsync Lite to Be Phased Out (8 December 2025) – The pioneering ZK-rollup will be retired in 2026, marking a strategic consolidation onto ZKsync Era.

Deep Dive

1. ZKsync Unveils 2026 Roadmap (13 January 2026)

Overview: Matter Labs has detailed its 2026 strategy, centering on transforming its privacy engine, Prividium, into bank-grade infrastructure. The plan emphasizes "privacy by default," direct integration with enterprise workflows, and evolving the ZK Stack from isolated chains to a natively interoperable network. The goal is to meet the compliance and performance demands of traditional finance.

What this means: This is a bullish long-term pivot for ZK because it directly targets the high-value institutional market, potentially creating new demand for its technology and token utility. Success hinges on execution and real-world adoption by regulated entities. (Binance News)

2. ZKsync Lite to Be Phased Out (8 December 2025)

Overview: ZKsync announced an orderly deprecation of ZKsync Lite (v1.0) for 2026. The network, launched in 2020 as a proof-of-concept for ZK-rollups, now processes under 200 daily operations as activity has shifted to the full-featured ZKsync Era. Approximately $50 million in user funds remain accessible, with secure L1 withdrawals guaranteed throughout the transition.

What this means: This is a neutral-to-positive development, reflecting technological maturation. It streamlines developer focus and resources onto the more advanced ZKsync Era ecosystem, but requires a smooth user migration to avoid negative sentiment. (ZKsync on X)

Conclusion

ZKsync is strategically shedding its legacy proof-of-concept to double down on privacy-focused, institutional infrastructure. Will 2026 see the tangible large-scale deployments needed to validate this ambitious roadmap?

What are people saying about ZK?

TLDR

ZKsync's community is buzzing with a mix of technological optimism and short-term price anxiety. Here’s what’s trending:

  1. The planned retirement of ZKsync Lite in 2026 is seen as an orderly sunset for a proof-of-concept that paved the way.

  2. Vitalik Buterin’s endorsement and the Atlas upgrade are hailed as major catalysts, boosting confidence in ZKsync’s long-term scaling role.

  3. A proposed shift in tokenomics aims to tie the $ZK token’s value directly to network revenue and utility.

  4. Recent price volatility and exchange delistings highlight near-term bearish pressures and adoption challenges.

  5. Technical analysis suggests a potential bullish reversal if key resistance levels are breached, offering a glimmer of hope for traders.

Deep Dive

1. @HooLiFuk: Planned Retirement of ZKsync Lite in 2026 neutral

"ZKsync has announced plans to retire ZKsync Lite (formerly ZKsync 1.0), the zero-knowledge rollup introduced in 2020, with deprecation scheduled for 2026... roughly $50 million in assets remain bridged to the network, with L1 withdrawals continuing to function normally." – @HooLiFuk (557 followers · 2025-12-08 19:20 UTC) View original post

What this means: This is neutral for ZKsync because it represents a planned evolution, not a failure. The orderly sunset of the legacy Lite network allows the team to consolidate resources and focus on the more advanced ZKsync Era and ZK Stack. User funds remain secure, minimizing immediate negative impact.

2. @BOBO: Vitalik's Spotlight & Atlas Upgrade bullish

"Vitalik just put @zksync in the spotlight 🚀 — $ZK shot up 150%+... The real magic is the Atlas upgrade — L1-L2 liquidity connected, 15k TPS, 1s finality, near-zero fees, and smooth inter-L2 flows." – @BOBO (20.1K followers · 2025-11-03 15:12 UTC) View original post

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because Vitalik Buterin’s public endorsement validates its technological contributions to Ethereum. The Atlas upgrade’s performance metrics (15k TPS, 1s finality) directly address core scaling challenges, potentially driving developer adoption and long-term network value.

3. @Adanigj: Top Loser on Binance Futures bearish

"ZKsync (ZK) went down 10.4 percent in the last 24 hours on Binance Futures. Note: This coin is one of the Top Looser today : More than 10% down in 1 day." – @Adanigj (1.4K followers · 2026-01-07 07:33 UTC) View original post

What this means: This is bearish for ZKsync because it highlights significant short-term selling pressure and negative market sentiment. Being flagged as a "Top Loser" on a major derivatives exchange can erode trader confidence and trigger further downside momentum.

4. @Finora_EN: AI Analysis for a Potential Reversal bullish

"I expect that the price after a correction to one of the demand zones (0.02762–0.02802... may continue to rise to 0.02904 and 0.03011 provided there is confirmation of a reversal from below." – @Finora_EN (7.8K followers · 2026-02-01 11:41 UTC) View original post

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it provides a technical roadmap for a price recovery. The analysis identifies specific demand zones ($0.02762–$0.02802) as potential reversal points, offering a data-driven narrative for traders looking for entry opportunities if support holds.

5. @zksync: Weekly Roundup of Governance & Growth bullish

"ZKsync experienced a highly active week marked by major governance, product, and institutional milestones... reinforcing ZKsync as Ethereum’s execution engine." – @zksync (1.5M followers · 2025-11-08 19:30 UTC) View original post

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it showcases continuous development, institutional traction (e.g., tokenized RWA funds), and active governance. This narrative of steady, real-world progress supports the project's long-term fundamental value beyond short-term price fluctuations.

Conclusion

The consensus on ZKsync is cautiously bullish, anchored in strong technological progress but tempered by near-term market headwinds. The community acknowledges the project's pivotal role in Ethereum's scaling future, fueled by the Atlas upgrade and Vitalik Buterin's backing. However, recent price declines, exchange delistings, and the upcoming migration from ZKsync Lite inject significant short-term uncertainty. The key metric to watch is the successful migration of users and assets from ZKsync Lite to ZKsync Era, as this will be the ultimate test of network health and user adoption in 2026.

What is the latest update in ZK’s codebase?

TLDR

ZKsync's most recent detailed codebase updates come from its September 2024 developer release, focusing on enhanced security and developer tools.

  1. TEE Proofs & Prover API (September 2024) – Introduced a new security layer and first steps toward decentralizing proof generation.

  2. Major Developer Tooling Upgrades (September 2024) – Streamlined contract deployment with updated Hardhat and Foundry plugins.

  3. Third-Party Integrations Live (September 2024) – Enabled cross-chain messaging via Chainlink CCIP and broader smart contract support.

Deep Dive

1. TEE Proofs & Prover API (September 2024)

Overview: This update added a second layer of security proofs generated inside a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), making ZKsync the first rollup with multiple proof types. It also launched an API to let third-party developers verify proofs, starting the process of decentralizing the network's core function.

The new unstable_getTeeProofs RPC method allows access to these proofs, which initially ran in "shadow mode" alongside the existing zero-knowledge proofs. The Prover API provides endpoints for fetching batch data and verifying proofs, enabling external participation in the proof-generation process.

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it makes the network significantly more secure and resilient by not relying on a single type of cryptographic proof. It also begins to distribute a critical function (proof generation) to the community, which is a major step toward true decentralization and long-term network health. (Source)

2. Major Developer Tooling Upgrades (September 2024)

Overview: The team released updated versions of core development plugins for Hardhat and Foundry, simplifying the process of testing, deploying, and upgrading smart contracts on ZKsync Era. This reduces friction for developers migrating projects from other Ethereum-compatible chains.

Key releases included hardhat-zksync v1.2.0, which consolidated several tools into one plugin, and foundry-zksync updates that enabled complex deployments like Aave. New migration guides were also published in the official documentation.

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because a better developer experience directly leads to more applications being built on the network. Easier migrations and more robust tools can attract development talent and increase the ecosystem's diversity and utility. (Source)

3. Third-Party Integrations Live (September 2024)

Overview: This update marked the live integration of major infrastructure services, most notably Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP). It also included updated template contracts from thirdweb to support ZKsync Era and ZK Chains natively.

CCIP's activation enables secure cross-chain messaging and token transfers, connecting ZKsync to other blockchain ecosystems. The thirdweb update allows developers to quickly deploy common contract types using a familiar toolkit.

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because integrations with established projects like Chainlink provide immediate utility and connectivity for users and developers. It reduces the network's isolation and leverages existing, trusted infrastructure to accelerate adoption and complex application development. (Source)

Conclusion

The September 2024 updates showcase ZKsync's commitment to strengthening its core protocol security with TEE proofs, decentralizing its infrastructure via the Prover API, and aggressively improving the developer onboarding experience. While these are not the most recent announcements (which have focused on roadmap and tokenomics), they represent significant, tangible advancements in the network's technical foundation. How will these deeper technical improvements support the ambitious institutional and RWA-focused goals outlined in ZKsync's 2026 roadmap?

What is next on ZK’s roadmap?

TLDR

ZKsync's development continues with these milestones:

  1. End of Etherscan Support (7 January 2026) – Native explorer transition to reduce external dependencies and enhance protocol-level coordination.

  2. ZKsync Lite Deprecation (2026) – Orderly sunset of the legacy payments rollup to consolidate resources on advanced networks.

  3. Enterprise & Privacy Roadmap (2026) – Focus on Prividium infrastructure and ZK Stack evolution to drive institutional adoption.

Deep Dive

1. End of Etherscan Support (7 January 2026)

Overview: ZKsync discontinued Etherscan support for its Era network on January 7, 2026, migrating all on-chain data to its native block explorer (Coinspeaker). This move aims to reduce external dependencies, as Etherscan could not natively index features like inter-chain communication introduced by the Atlas upgrade. The native explorer provides a unified view of cross-chain state and settlement flows.

What this means: This is neutral for ZKsync because it streamlines infrastructure control and improves the developer experience for native features, but it creates a short-term migration burden for projects relying on Etherscan's APIs.

2. ZKsync Lite Deprecation (2026)

Overview: The team announced an "orderly sunset" for ZKsync Lite (v1.0) in 2026 (ZKsync on X). This pioneering payments rollup, launched in 2020, now processes under 200 daily transactions. The deprecation allows resources to focus on ZKsync Era and the Elastic Network. Approximately $50 million in bridged assets remains safe, with L1 withdrawals staying functional throughout the transition.

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it signifies technological maturation, eliminating maintenance overhead for obsolete infrastructure and directing all ecosystem activity toward its more capable, smart-contract-enabled networks.

3. Enterprise & Privacy Roadmap (2026)

Overview: The 2026 roadmap, unveiled in January, prioritizes real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, consumer payments, and account abstraction (CoinMarketCap). Key initiatives include evolving Prividium into bank-grade privacy infrastructure and advancing the ZK Stack toward a collaborative system of application chains. The open-source proof system Airbender is being developed as a universal standard.

What this means: This is bullish for ZKsync because it directly targets institutional and enterprise adoption—the primary growth vector for Layer 2 networks. Success hinges on execution and attracting regulated partners, but the focus on privacy and integration addresses major barriers to traditional finance adoption.

Conclusion

ZKsync's roadmap reveals a strategic pivot from foundational scaling to enterprise-grade infrastructure, emphasizing privacy, compliance, and seamless institutional onboarding. How quickly will regulated partners deploy production systems using Prividium and the ZK Stack?

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.