Horizen has formally launched its privacy-focused appchain testnet on Base, introducing DarkSwap, a decentralized alternate designed to get rid of MEV assaults and supply bot-proof buying and selling. The testnet deployment marks a major milestone in Horizen’s evolution from a standard blockchain to a privacy-first Layer 3 resolution constructed on Coinbase’s Base community.
The launch comes simply weeks after Horizen efficiently migrated its native ZEN token from its unique UTXO-based blockchain to Base as an ERC-20 asset in July 2025. This strategic transition discontinued the legacy mainchain and EON sidechain whereas introducing enhanced DeFi capabilities and decreased transaction prices by means of Base’s Ethereum Layer 2 infrastructure.
DarkSwap represents the primary main utility to leverage Horizen’s privateness infrastructure, providing merchants safety towards front-running bots and most extractable worth (MEV) assaults that plague conventional decentralized exchanges. The platform makes use of zero-knowledge proofs to allow stealth transactions whereas sustaining the transparency required for regulatory compliance.
Horizen’s Privateness-First Structure
The Horizen appchain operates as a programmable privateness Layer 3, tapping into Base’s developer ecosystem and Coinbase’s compliance spine. The modular structure allows customizable privateness configurations for various utility varieties whereas sustaining seamless Ethereum integration by means of Base’s established infrastructure.
Central to Horizen’s privateness capabilities is its implementation of Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and zero-knowledge proofs. The upcoming confidential compute setting, scheduled for This fall 2025, will permit safe, personal utility execution straight on-chain with out requiring builders to grasp advanced cryptographic ideas.
The platform’s composable privateness stack integrates a number of cryptographic applied sciences together with zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), multi-party computation (MPC), and totally homomorphic encryption (FHE). This modular method ensures Horizen can evolve alongside speedy developments in privateness expertise whereas sustaining backward compatibility.
Developer accessibility stays a core focus, with the platform supporting acquainted programming languages together with Solidity, Node.js, and Python. This compatibility eliminates the educational curve sometimes related to privacy-focused blockchain growth, enabling current Ethereum builders to deploy privacy-preserving functions utilizing their present skillset.
ZEN Token Migration and Base Integration
The ZEN token migration to Base represented one of the important technical transitions within the mission’s historical past. The migration elevated the circulating provide to 17.25 million ZEN tokens, representing a 7.8% improve, with 750,000 tokens allotted particularly for DAO governance functions.
Safety audits carried out by Halborn and Cantina in June 2025 validated the protection of the migration course of, protecting over 5,000 traces of code together with cross-chain bridges and ERC-20 minting logic. The audits discovered no vital vulnerabilities, although minor consumer interface enhancements have been really helpful and subsequently carried out.
New buying and selling pairs launched concurrently on main DEX platforms, with ZEN/WETH and ZEN/cbBTC pairs out there on Aerodrome, whereas Uniswap v3 hosts the ZEN/USDC pair. The ZEN token now operates beneath the official ERC-20 contract deal with 0xf43eB8De897Fbc7F2502483B2Bef7Bb9EA179229 on Base mainnet.
The ultimate node improve ZEN 6.0.0 in July 2025 marked the completion of the legacy chain sundown, requiring all node operators to replace their software program to take care of community participation. This improve included automated asset claiming performance to make sure customers may seamlessly transition their holdings to the brand new Base-based ecosystem.
DarkSwap’s Bot-Proof Options
DarkSwap’s progressive method to MEV safety makes use of Horizen’s privateness layer to obscure transaction particulars till execution, stopping subtle buying and selling bots from front-running consumer trades. The platform implements selective disclosure mechanisms that permit for regulatory compliance whereas sustaining consumer transaction privateness.
The alternate options embrace batch public sale mechanisms and commit-reveal schemes that mixture trades earlier than execution, eliminating the timing benefits sometimes exploited by MEV bots. Customers can commerce with confidence understanding their transaction intentions stay personal till settlement happens on the Base community.
Key options of the DarkSwap testnet embrace:
- Zero-knowledge proof integration for personal transactions
- MEV safety by means of transaction obscuration
- Batch buying and selling mechanisms to stop front-running
- Regulatory-compliant selective disclosure choices
- Seamless Base community integration for low-cost trades
The testnet part permits builders and early customers to experiment with privacy-preserving DeFi functions whereas offering suggestions for mainnet optimization. In line with the official Horizen roadmap, the total appchain launch is scheduled for Q3 2025, with extra confidential computing options arriving in This fall.
Set up Coin Push cellular app to get worthwhile crypto alerts. Coin Push sends well timed notifications – so that you don’t miss any main market actions.
The launch of DarkSwap on Horizen’s testnet represents a major development in privacy-preserving DeFi infrastructure, doubtlessly attracting customers looking for safety from MEV exploitation. The profitable integration with Base positions Horizen to seize worth from each privacy-conscious merchants and builders constructing the subsequent era of confidential functions, whereas the ZEN token advantages from enhanced utility and improved liquidity entry throughout the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
- Layer 3 (L3)
- A blockchain scaling resolution constructed on high of Layer 2 networks, offering specialised performance whereas inheriting safety from the underlying layers. L3s typically deal with particular use instances like privateness, gaming, or enterprise functions.
- Most Extractable Worth (MEV)
- The revenue that may be extracted from reordering, together with, or excluding transactions inside a block. MEV typically disadvantages common customers by means of front-running and sandwich assaults.
- Zero-Information Proofs (ZKPs)
- Cryptographic strategies that permit one get together to show data of knowledge with out revealing the knowledge itself. In blockchain functions, ZKPs allow privateness whereas sustaining verifiability.
- Trusted Execution Atmosphere (TEE)
- A safe space inside a processor that ensures code and information are shielded from modification or inspection. TEEs allow confidential computing by isolating delicate operations from the broader system.
- Commit-Reveal Scheme
- A cryptographic protocol the place customers first submit a dedication to their meant motion, then later reveal the precise motion. This prevents others from seeing and reacting to the motion earlier than it’s finalized.
Editor-in-Chief / Coin Push Dean is a crypto fanatic based mostly in Amsterdam, the place he follows each twist and switch on this planet of cryptocurrencies and Web3.