PiCK

LayerZero launches mainnet 'Zero'… “Handling NYSE-scale trading volume”

Doohyun Hwang

Summary

LayerZero said it has officially launched its proprietary mainnet 'Zero', an infrastructure based on zero-knowledge proofs (ZK) that supports roughly 2 million transactions per second.
Lim Jong-gyu said that with zero-knowledge proof technology, annual network costs can be cut from 5 trillion won to 100 billion won or less, while communication costs can also be reduced to about one-tenth within five years.
ICE, Citadel, Tether, Google Cloud and ARK Invest are participating as 'Zero' launch partners and investors, and domestically the company said it has signed an MOU with Nexon subsidiary Nexpace.

Unveils proprietary mainnet 'Zero'

“Processes 2 million transactions per second… pushing past blockchain limits”

Participants include ICE, Citadel and Google Cloud

Partners domestically with a Nexon subsidiary

Lim Jong-gyu, head of LayerZero APAC, announces the launch of the 'Zero' mainnet at a LayerZero press briefing held on the 11th at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo=Hwang Du-hyeon, Bloomberg Bit reporter

LayerZero, a cross-chain interoperability protocol, has officially launched its proprietary mainnet, 'Zero', and is moving to target the blockchain infrastructure market. The company aims to provide financial-industry-grade infrastructure by using zero-knowledge proof (ZK) technology to address entrenched limitations of existing blockchains—namely speed and cost.

On the 11th, LayerZero disclosed the plan at a press briefing held at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Lim Jong-gyu, head of LayerZero APAC (Asia-Pacific), who delivered the keynote, said, “After New York, Seoul is the only place in the world where we are holding a separate briefing, which reflects how important we consider the Korean market,” adding, “Zero is infrastructure developed to accelerate the tokenization of all assets.”

Lim underscored the need for Zero by pointing to the technical constraints of existing blockchains. “The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) processes as many as 2 million trades per second, but even high-performance chains such as Solana remain at around 4,000 transactions per second,” he said. “Simple optimization cannot meet the performance required by the financial industry.”

To address this, LayerZero introduced zero-knowledge proofs, which prove only the truth or falsity of information without revealing payment details.

Lim explained, “If all NYSE trades were put on-chain with current technology, network costs would exceed 5 trillion won per year, making it physically impossible,” adding, “By contrast, using Zero with zero-knowledge proofs makes it possible to operate at an annual cost of 100 billion won or less, and communication costs are expected to fall to one-tenth of current levels within five years.” He added, “Zero adopts a heterogeneous architecture capable of processing about 10GB of data per second. It supports roughly 2 million transactions per second.

A lineup of global partners participating in the 'Zero' ecosystem was also disclosed. Launch partners and investors include Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent of the NYSE, and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), as well as hedge-fund market maker Citadel, stablecoin issuer Tether, Google Cloud and ARK Invest.

Lim said, “Traditional finance heavyweights such as Citadel and ICE are participating as strategic investors and will work with us to build next-generation financial infrastructure.”

Collaboration with domestic companies was also specified. LayerZero signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a partnership with Nexpace, Nexon’s blockchain subsidiary. The plan is to connect Nexpace’s gaming ecosystem to Zero to explore new business opportunities.

Lim emphasized, “Our mission is to become the plumbing for crypto and stablecoins,” adding, “Through Zero, we will create an environment where any application or blockchain can be onboarded.”

ZRO