Latest Horizen (ZEN) News Update

Deep Dive

1. @horizenglobal: Migration progress bullish

"ZEN is now live on Aerodrome (ZEN/WETH, ZEN/AERO) and Uniswap v3 with $8.5M initial liquidity"
– @horizenglobal (82K followers · 1.2M impressions · 2025-07-22 17:00 UTC)
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What this means: This is bullish for ZEN because Base integration enables direct DeFi participation, with liquidity pairs across major DEXs potentially reducing volatility.

2. @Tokocrypto: APAC exchange adoption neutral

"Deposit/trading for new ZEN ERC-20 starts July 25 WIB after swap completion"
– @Tokocrypto (312K followers · 287K impressions · 2025-07-25 04:08 UTC)
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What this means: Neutral short-term impact as token swaps often cause temporary trading pauses, but expanded exchange support could improve regional accessibility.

3. @horizenglobal: Treasury strategy mixed

"ZenIP 42411 proposes DAO-owned LP vaults – no ZEN sales, just yield from Base DEXs"
– @horizenglobal (82K followers · 634K impressions · 2025-07-15 19:22 UTC)
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What this means: Mixed sentiment – while vaults could stabilize prices through locked liquidity, success depends on Base’s DeFi traction and AERO emissions sustainability.

4. @CoinbaseAssets: Migration risks bearish

"ZEN deposits during July 16-25 migration window will be unrecoverable"
– @CoinbaseAssets (1.1M followers · 890K impressions · 2025-06-23 19:44 UTC)
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What this means: Bearish for inexperienced holders – exchange warnings highlight technical complexity, with irreversible loss risks potentially shaking retail confidence.

Conclusion

The consensus on ZEN is cautiously optimistic, balancing Base’s ecosystem potential against migration execution risks. While institutional nods (Grayscale) and DAO liquidity strategies suggest long-term vision, short-term price action (-13% post-migration) reflects transitional friction. Watch for week-two liquidity metrics on Aerodrome and ZenIP 42411 voting turnout to gauge whether DeFi integration translates to sustained demand.

Deep Dive

1. Privacy-Enabled DeFi Features (Q3 2025)

Overview: Following its migration to Base, Horizen plans to activate wallet-level privacy tools, enabling stealth transactions for DeFi users. This leverages zero-knowledge proofs to anonymize trades while maintaining compliance.

What this means: Bullish for ZEN, as privacy-focused DeFi could attract users seeking confidentiality. However, adoption depends on seamless integration with platforms like Uniswap and regulatory clarity.

2. 1M ZEN Developer Grants (2025–2030)

Overview: A five-year program allocates 1M ZEN (~$7.4M) to projects in private DeFi, AI, and gaming. Funding is released in stages: 10% upfront, 40% after 10x user growth (Horizen).

What this means: Neutral-to-bullish. While this incentivizes ecosystem growth, success hinges on attracting quality builders. The DAO retains oversight, reducing mismanagement risks.

3. Grayscale Trust Review (December 2025)

Overview: Grayscale’s Horizen Trust (OTC: HZEN) will reassess its support for ZEN based on post-migration adoption metrics. Continued backing could boost institutional liquidity.

What this means: Bearish if adoption lags, as delisting may trigger sell pressure. Bullish if usage grows, validating Horizen’s pivot to Base.

Conclusion

Horizen’s roadmap prioritizes DeFi privacy and developer incentives, with Grayscale’s December decision acting as a key catalyst. Will ecosystem grants accelerate adoption fast enough to satisfy institutional stakeholders?

Deep Dive

1. Base Migration Finalized (24 July 2025)

Overview
Horizen completed its transition from a standalone blockchain to Coinbase’s Base network, converting ZEN to an ERC-20 token. The move disabled the original UTXO chain and EON sidechain while introducing a privacy-focused Layer 3 appchain using zero-knowledge proofs.

What this means
This is bullish for ZEN because it gains direct access to Ethereum’s $151B DeFi ecosystem and Base’s 1M+ daily users. The migration increased circulating supply to 17.25M ZEN (7.8% expansion) but maintained the 21M hard cap. Immediate liquidity arrived via Aerodrome and Uniswap pairs. (CoinMarketCap)

2. KuCoin Swap Complete (4 August 2025)

Overview
KuCoin finalized ZEN’s contract swap, automatically converting legacy tokens to ERC-20 versions. The exchange warned against depositing old tokens, which are now irrecoverable.

What this means
Neutral development – while streamlining access for existing holders, it highlights risks for those who missed migration deadlines. The smooth exchange transition contrasts with Upbit’s ongoing ZEN withdrawal freeze since July. (KuCoin)

3. $7.4M Dev Fund Launched (10 July 2025)

Overview
Horizen allocated 1M ZEN ($7.4M) over five years to fund privacy-preserving AI, confidential DeFi, and gaming apps on its Base L3. Managed by Thrive Protocol, grants require milestone-based progress.

What this means
Bullish long-term – the program targets real-world use cases while avoiding token dumps (funds come from existing allocations). However, success depends on attracting quality builders to a niche privacy ecosystem. (CoinMarketCap)

Conclusion

Horizen’s Base migration and developer incentives position it as a compliance-friendly privacy play, though adoption metrics post-launch remain critical. With Grayscale’s trust evaluating continued support through December, will institutional interest match the technical ambition?

Deep Dive

1. Final Node Upgrade (July 2025)

Overview: The ZEN 6.0.0 and EON 1.5.0 releases marked the final mandatory update for node operators, triggering the migration to Base and decommissioning Horizen’s original UTXO chain.

This upgrade disabled legacy chain functionalities, requiring all nodes to adopt the new Base-compatible software. Users holding native ZEN were instructed to claim ERC-20 tokens via a migration portal.

What this means: This is bullish for ZEN because it streamlines infrastructure for a privacy-focused appchain ecosystem. However, delayed upgrades risked asset inaccessibility. (Source)

2. Base Migration (23 July 2025)

Overview: ZEN converted from a UTXO-based token to an ERC-20 on Base, integrating with DEXs like Aerodrome and Uniswap.

The migration increased circulating supply to 17.25M ZEN (from 16M) and introduced DAO governance. Legacy chains were deprecated, requiring users to move assets before deadlines.

What this means: This is neutral for ZEN because while DeFi liquidity improved, migration complexity caused temporary exchange suspensions (e.g., Upbit halting withdrawals). (Source)

3. Dual Security Audits (June 2025)

Overview: Cantina audited Horizen’s migration contracts and claim tools, finding no critical vulnerabilities ahead of the Base transition.

Audits focused on preventing supply exploits and ensuring secure token redemption. Post-migration, ZEN’s ERC-20 contract retained a 21M hard cap.

What this means: This is bullish for ZEN because it reduced migration-related risks, though long-term security depends on ongoing audits. (Source)

Conclusion

Horizen’s codebase overhaul aligns with its shift to a privacy-first L3 appchain on Base, balancing technical ambition with user security. While liquidity and interoperability gains are evident, adoption hinges on seamless integration of upcoming privacy features like stealth addresses. How will Horizen differentiate its privacy stack in Base’s crowded DeFi ecosystem?