ZANO Description
Overview
Zano (ZANO) is an independent Layer-1 blockchain, derived from the CryptoNote protocol, that uses hybrid Proof-of-Work/Proof-of-Stake consensus to process privacy-preserving transactions.
It is not a token on Ethereum, Solana, or any other chain. Zano descends from Boolberry, a 2014 privacy coin built by the same cryptography lineage, which coin-swapped into Zano with mainnet launch in 2019. The network hides transaction amounts and, via its Zarcanum protocol, staking balances. It also includes built-in features such as Zano Trade, a native decentralized exchange, and Confidential Assets issuance.
Value Proposition
Zano differentiates itself through Zarcanum, a hidden-amount Proof-of-Stake scheme that conceals staking balances, a feature absent from most CryptoNote-derived privacy coins.
ZANO captures this directly: holders stake it to earn hidden-balance rewards and spend it to pay a flat 0.01 ZANO fee, with 100% of collected fees burned, tying network usage to token scarcity. Market capitalization stood at approximately $146.8 million as of 2026-09-01.
Token Basics
ZANO functions as a utility and privacy-money token rather than a governance token.
- Paid as a flat 0.01 ZANO transaction fee, entirely burned
- Staked to earn a share of block rewards, with staked amounts hidden via Zarcanum
- Mined under the Proof-of-Work side of Zano's hybrid consensus
- Used within built-in ecosystem features such as Zano Trade (native DEX) and Confidential Assets issuance
Tokenomics
Zano has no maximum supply cap; circulating supply was 15,341,195.34 ZANO as of 2026-09-01.
- Initial supply at coinswap: 17,517,203 ZANO
- Development fund (premine, ~20% of initial supply): 3,690,000 ZANO, split 55% (2,029,500 ZANO) to a Foundation Fund, 30% (1,107,000 ZANO) to a Team Allocation, and 15% (553,500 ZANO) to repay a development loan
- Block reward: fixed 1 ZANO per ~1-minute block, split between miner and staker
- All transaction fees (flat 0.01 ZANO) are burned
Net emission is disinflationary, trending asymptotically toward 0% annual inflation, with fee burning creating potential long-run deflationary pressure as usage grows.
Launch & Funding
Zano had no traditional ICO, IEO, or VC funding round; it launched via a coinswap from its predecessor, Boolberry, with mainnet going live in 2019.
In early 2018, a group of Boolberry shareholders loaned funds to support development ahead of the coinswap; this loan was later repaid using 553,500 ZANO earmarked from the development fund. Initial supply at coinswap was 17,517,203 ZANO. Boolberry itself was created in 2014, meaning Zano's 2019 launch postdates its project's founding lineage by five years.
Blockchain & Consensus
Zano runs on its own independent Layer-1 blockchain, derived from the CryptoNote protocol, using a hybrid Proof-of-Work/Proof-of-Stake consensus in which both miners and stakers validate blocks.
Via its Zarcanum protocol, the staking side of consensus supports hidden-amount Proof-of-Stake, keeping staked balances cryptographically private. Zano is not deployed on Ethereum, Solana, or any other external chain; wrapped representations such as WZANO exist on other chains as separate wrapper products, distinct from the native asset.
Team
Zano's core team is publicly named, not anonymous.
- Andrey Sabelnikov — co-founder and core developer; co-developed the original CryptoNote protocol (2012–2014) with Nicolas van Saberhagen, the privacy-technology lineage that also underlies Monero
- Pavel Nikienkov — co-founder and project manager, handling roadmap and release coordination
- Valeriy Pisarkov ("Sowle") — core developer and research lead, author of the Zarcanum private-PoS scheme
- Additional contributors: Quinten van Welzen (Head of Marketing & Growth), Gonzalo Cativa (Head of Community), Ronne van Rijn (Social Media Strategist)
Issuing Organization
Zano is maintained by its core development team together with the Zano Foundation, which oversees the project's development fund.
The Foundation commits to periodic transparency reporting on fund usage, while day-to-day protocol development, releases, and roadmap execution are driven by the named core team rather than a registered company.
Governance
Zano has no on-chain or token-based voting system; governance is informal and led by the core team and the Zano Foundation.
The Zano Foundation manages the development fund and commits to periodic transparency reports on its use. Protocol-level decisions, such as Hard Fork 6 and the proposed move to pure Proof-of-Stake, are announced and driven by the core development team through public blog posts and monthly project updates rather than through formal community voting. ZANO is a utility token, not a governance token.
Roadmap
Zano's next major upgrade, Hard Fork 6 (block 3,833,000, ~August 25–27, 2026), adds Gateway Addresses for trustless cross-chain bridging of ZANO to Ethereum, TON, and Solana.
- "Zenith" design document (published July 16, 2026, with Common Prefix): proposes migrating Zano from hybrid PoW/PoS to pure Proof-of-Stake
- Mobile app v3.3.0 shipped July 2026, adding a dApp-browser permission system
- Monthly Project Update blog series (updates #16–#22, January–July 2026) documenting ongoing development
Security
Zano has not undergone a conventional smart-contract audit, consistent with running its own non-EVM chain; its cryptography instead received targeted third-party review.
- Cypher Stack (Dr. Aaron Feickert) reviewed the Zarcanum protocol, found no major issues, and the team added formal security proofs to the published paper
- Two Immunefi bug bounties ran in 2025 (Feb–Mar, $15,000 pool; Jun–Jul for Zano Trade, $14,000 pool), with no critical bugs found
- A mid-2025 report claiming node-level deanonymization was publicly rebutted by the team in June 2025, which said cryptographic transaction privacy was not compromised
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zano (ZANO)?
Zano is an independent Layer-1 privacy blockchain derived from the CryptoNote protocol, using hybrid Proof-of-Work/Proof-of-Stake consensus. It descends from the 2014 privacy coin Boolberry, with mainnet launching in 2019. Zano hides transaction amounts and, via Zarcanum, staking balances, and includes built-in features such as a native DEX (Zano Trade) and Confidential Assets issuance.
Is Zano an ERC-20 or Solana token?
No, Zano is not an ERC-20, SPL, or any other chain's token; it is a native asset on its own independent Layer-1 blockchain. A separate wrapped representation, Wrapped Zano (WZANO), exists on other chains as a distinct wrapper product, but it is not the native ZANO asset described here.
What consensus mechanism does Zano use?
Zano uses a hybrid Proof-of-Work/Proof-of-Stake consensus, where both miners and stakers validate blocks and share a fixed 1 ZANO reward roughly every minute. Its Zarcanum protocol extends this with hidden-amount Proof-of-Stake, keeping staked balances cryptographically private, unlike most transparent staking systems.
What is Zano's maximum supply?
Zano has no maximum supply cap; it is designed as an uncapped, disinflationary asset rather than one with a fixed ceiling. Circulating supply stood at 15,341,195.34 ZANO as of 2026-09-01. All transaction fees are burned, which can create deflationary pressure as network usage grows.
Who founded Zano?
Zano was co-founded by Andrey Sabelnikov, a co-developer of the original CryptoNote protocol, and Pavel Nikienkov, who manages roadmap and releases. Valeriy Pisarkov ("Sowle") serves as core developer and research lead, having authored the Zarcanum private-PoS scheme. The team is publicly named, not anonymous.
Has Zano been audited?
Zano has not had a conventional smart-contract audit, since it runs its own non-EVM chain, but its cryptography has been independently reviewed: Cypher Stack's Dr. Aaron Feickert examined the Zarcanum protocol and found no major issues. Two Immunefi bug bounty programs also ran in 2025 with no critical bugs found.
What is Zarcanum?
Zarcanum is Zano's hidden-amount Proof-of-Stake protocol, authored by core developer Valeriy Pisarkov, that cryptographically conceals staking balances while still allowing network validation. It was independently reviewed by Cypher Stack's Dr. Aaron Feickert, who found no major mathematical issues and recommended adding formal security proofs, later incorporated into the published paper.
Did Zano have an ICO?
No, Zano had no traditional ICO, IEO, or VC funding round. It launched via a coinswap from its predecessor Boolberry, with mainnet going live in 2019, funded partly by a 2018 loan from Boolberry shareholders that was later repaid using 553,500 ZANO from the project's development fund.
