Horizen Labs, a zero-knowledge encryption platform, is deploying a dedicated Layer-1 blockchain for personal data verification.
Zkverify announced the launch of the Mainnet on Tuesday with the new L1 blockchain designed for Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZK-Proof) verification.
“Zkverify’s mission is to remove economic and technical barriers to ZK’s adoption,” Rob Viglione, CEO of Horizen Labs and founder of Zkverify, told Cointelegraph.
“While validation is usually considered the “cheapest” part of the ZK value chain, it is still too expensive and inefficient to support real-world scale,” Viglione said.
What is ZKP verification?
ZKP verification is a encryption method that allows one party to prove a statement to another party without disclosing the underlying information or data itself. A common example is to verify eligibility for the age of access to the service without requiring disclosure of your entire ID or other personal information.
As of 2025, the ZKP volume is estimated to be around $100 million and $4.4 billion in evidence, so the ZK certification market is expected to reach $1.5 billion by 2030.
ZK certification market forecast. Source: Delphi Digital
“Now, many chains and apps can slow or costly, as it can be very expensive to verify these proofs on Ethereum or another chain,” Viglione said.
According to Zkverify, ZKP verification for networks like Ethereum costs up to $60 per proof during high traffic congestion, and verification consumes up to 300,000 gas units. Zkverify promises to allow for at least 90% cost savings compared to directly verifying with L1.
“Heavy math instead of the original app or chain”
To reduce verification costs, Zkverify provides a dedicated verification layer by separating proof verification from L1S payments.
“Zkverify checks ZK proofs by doing heavy math instead of the original app or chain,” Viglione told Cointelegraph, adding:
“The original chain sends proofs and inputs, routes them to the appropriate checker, validates them, and records paths or failures. Other apps or chains read the results instead of redoing math, reducing the burden of calculations to Zkverify, reducing time and costs.”
Definitions between distributed IDs, games, and use cases
Among the actual Zkverify use cases, Viglione mentioned decentralized IDs, verified transaction forecasts, decentralized financial financing, games and more.
“The easiest way to interact with Zkverify is to use a relayer interface. This is as easy as using an API, and the capabilities are constantly growing,” he said.
Related: Vitalik slams EU chat controls: “We all deserve privacy and security.”
He also highlighted Zkverify’s ability to verify many different proof types using modular architecture and multi-chin options, allowing the team to prove Ethereum, Base, arbitrum, optimism, and other chains without lock-in.
The launch of Zkverify’s mainnet comes months after the Ethereum Foundation announced plans to integrate ZK Ethereum Virtual Machine (ZKEVM) directly into the L1 blockchain within a year.
The planned integration brings major changes to the block execution of ZKEVM, allowing the validator to see multiple proofs from different ZKVMs instead of re-executing the block transaction.
magazine: Can privacy survive the US crypto policy after the conviction of the Roman Storm?
