Horizen Mainnet Goes Live on Base—Unleashing Fast, Private Ethereum Apps

Privacy meets scalability as Horizen's mainnet launches on Base.

### Zero-Knowledge Apps Get a Turbo Boost

Horizen's integration with Base—Coinbase's Ethereum layer-2—cuts transaction costs and bypasses mainnet congestion. Developers now build private, scalable dApps without the typical speed versus secrecy trade-off.

### The Privacy Layer Ethereum Needed

This isn't just another sidechain. Horizen's zero-knowledge tech brings auditable privacy to DeFi and beyond. Think confidential swaps, shielded NFT trades, and enterprise-grade data solutions—all running on Ethereum's security with Base's low fees.

### Why TradFi Should Sweat

Wall Street's 'private' ledgers look increasingly archaic. While banks charge fortunes for opaque settlements, Horizen's mainnet delivers verifiable privacy for pennies. Another reminder: legacy finance innovates at a glacial pace while crypto rebuilds the system in real-time.

Ready-to-use apps and developer tools

According to the blog post, from the first day, Horizen’s ecosystem has applications like Gamblor and Hubz VCE, which showcase early privacy-focused use cases. The project has also partnered with industry players like Caldera, LayerZero, Stork, Den, and Goldsky to give developers the tools they need to build apps fast and safely. Builders can use Solidity, the programming language for Ethereum, and add privacy features like private swaps, selective disclosure, and identity control directly in their apps.

Horizen has also connected to zkVerify, a zero-knowledge proof system that deals with complex cryptography. Using this system, applications will be able to perform difficult computations without high fees or delays. In the next months, the network will support developers through the Horizen Developer Grant Program, with 1,000,000 ZEN to developers working on privacy apps in the fields of finance, gaming, SocialFi, and other services.

The Horizen Confidential Compute Environment (HCCE), expected in early 2026, will let developers run encrypted calculations directly onchain using Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).

With this launch, Horizen is now fully part of the Ethereum ecosystem while keeping its focus on privacy. As the team said, “A new chapter for onchain privacy begins today – bringing a seamless EVM-native environment designed for builders and users who want privacy that is practical, not complicated.” The network said this launch is only the start, and more tools, apps, and ways to use private blockchain features are coming soon.

Also Read: Circle Launches Privacy Stablecoin USDCx on Aleo Blockchain