LayerZero

Citadel

Zero

Cloud

<p>LayerZero Labs has officially unveiled Zero, a new <a href="https://coinpedia.org/blockchain-developers/blockchain-scaling-solutions/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Layer 1 blockchain</a> aimed at powering global financial markets on-chain. Announced on February 10, 2026, the network is being positioned as institutional-grade infrastructure for trading, clearing, settlement, and tokenization, and it’s launching with heavyweight backing from Citadel Securities, DTCC, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Google Cloud, ARK Invest, and Tether.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/LayerZero_Core/status/2021336132047294898?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">LayerZero </a>says Zero is designed to function as permissionless financial market infrastructure, potentially enabling traditional capital markets to operate natively on <a href="https://coinpedia.org/beginners-guide/what-is-blockchain/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">blockchain</a> rails.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-major-institutional-support-and-strategic-investments"><strong>Major Institutional Support and Strategic Investments</strong></h2><p>Citadel Securities and ARK Invest have made strategic investments by acquiring LayerZero’s native ZRO token. ARK also took an equity stake in LayerZero Labs, signaling deeper alignment with the project’s long-term vision.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/CathieDWood/status/2021354320898228570?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Cathie Wood</a> publicly endorsed the move, stating on X that after engaging with the team, she believes finance is moving on-chain and sees LayerZero as a core innovation platform for this “multi-decade shift.” She also joined LayerZero’s advisory board, marking her first such role in years.</p><p>Citadel Securities will contribute market structure expertise and evaluate Zero’s application in high-performance trading, clearing, and settlement workflows. DTCC will explore tokenization and collateral management use cases, while ICE plans to assess how the network could support 24/7 trading infrastructure. Google Cloud is partnering to examine blockchain infrastructure reliability and AI-driven payment systems.</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-zero-s-architecture-and-performance-claims"><strong>Zero’s Architecture and Performance Claims</strong></h3><p>LayerZero describes Zero as a “heterogeneous” blockchain that separates execution from verification using zero-knowledge proofs and proprietary technology called Jolt. This design aims to overcome replication bottlenecks seen in traditional blockchains.</p><p>The company claims Zero can process up to 2 million transactions per second, offering throughput up to 100,000 times faster than Ethereum and significantly higher than Solana. It also plans interoperability with more than 165 blockchains. Initial deployment will include an EVM-compatible zone, privacy payment rails, and a market-grade trading zone.</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-launch-timeline-and-broader-impact"><strong>Launch Timeline and Broader Impact</strong></h3><p>Zero is expected to launch in fall 2026, with ZRO as its native token. Governance and availability will depend on regulatory frameworks.</p><p>If successful, Zero could represent a major shift in blockchain adoption — moving beyond DeFi experimentation toward regulated, institutional-scale financial infrastructure designed to support the global economy on-chain.</p><h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-faqs">FAQs</h2><div class="schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block"><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1770808688654"><strong class="schema-faq-question"><strong>What is LayerZero Zero and how does it work?</strong></strong><p class="schema-faq-answer">Zero is a new institutional-grade Layer 1 blockchain designed to power global finance onchain. It separates execution from verification using zero-knowledge proofs and Jolt technology to process up to 2 million transactions per second.</p></div><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1770808694621"><strong class="schema-faq-question"><strong>When will LayerZero Zero launch and what is ZRO?</strong></strong><p class="schema-faq-answer">Zero is expected to launch in fall 2026. ZRO is its native token used for governance and network operations. Availability will depend on regulatory approvals and frameworks.</p></div><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1770808708223"><strong class="schema-faq-question"><strong>What real-world financial use cases does Zero support?</strong></strong><p class="schema-faq-answer">Zero is built for trading, clearing, settlement, and tokenization. Partners like DTCC and Citadel Securities are exploring collateral management, 24/7 trading infrastructure, and AI-driven payments on the network.</p></div></div>

LayerZero Unveils “Zero” Layer 1 Blockchain Backed by Citadel, ARK, ICE & Google Cloud

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