Horizen
ZEN Rank #253Price chart
What is Horizen?
Origins and migration
The project launched as ZenCash in May 2017. Rob Viglione and Rolf Versluis were among its co-founders. Its original blockchain forked ZClassic, placing it within the Zcash technology lineage. The launch used neither an ICO nor a premine. ZEN migrated to an ERC-20 representation on Base on July 23, 2025. Legacy holders received a one-for-one migration entitlement.
Current architecture
Horizen now develops an EVM-compatible Layer 3 environment on Base. Solidity applications can add privacy at the application layer. Vela supplies trusted-execution-environment infrastructure for confidential computation and remains in closed beta. Applications can alternatively integrate zkVerify for zero-knowledge proof verification. These are distinct approaches to confidentiality and verification. The current ecosystem therefore differs from the retired ZEN proof-of-work chain.
Supply and participation
ZEN retains a maximum allocation of 21 million units. The token participates in Horizen governance and supported application economies. Its staking program distributes ecosystem rewards under Foundation-administered rules. Contributions can include participating application fees and token distributions. That staking program supports ecosystem participation rather than the former chain's mining consensus.
Where to trade ZEN
28 exchanges · top 10
Live spot quotes from connected exchanges
ZEN funding rates
Live perpetual funding on every connected exchange. Positive = longs pay shorts.
Contracts & chains
Exact contract or mint per network — the identity layer used for DEX routing.
On-chain routes
Networks with a connected DEX routing adapter.