LayerZero will launch a new blockchain "Zero," supported by Wall Street giant Citadel, Intercontinental Exchange, and DTCC (launching in September)

Cross-chain protocol LayerZero announces the launch of a dedicated institutional blockchain called Zero, supported by Citadel Securities, Intercontinental Exchange, and Cathie Wood’s investments, aiming to process 2 million transactions per second, officially launching in September.
(Background: RWA protocol Ondo Finance’s viral success story: BlackRock and Morgan Stanley entering the real-world asset space)
(Additional context: US SEC terminates investigation into Ondo Finance with “no charges”—$ONDO surges past $0.5)

On the 10th, LayerZero announced the upcoming launch of a new blockchain called “Zero.” This is not another Layer 1 chasing retail funds, but an infrastructure designed from the ground up to target Wall Street.

According to Fortune magazine, this new chain has received strategic investment from the world’s largest market maker Citadel Securities, with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and securities clearing giant DTCC also participating. “Queen of stocks” Cathie Wood has joined the advisory board.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs Become the Gateway for Institutional Entry

Zero’s core technology is based on what’s called a “heterogeneous architecture,” using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) to separate transaction execution from verification. LayerZero claims this can achieve throughput of 2 million transactions per second, with a single transaction costing less than one-millionth of a dollar: about 100,000 times faster than Ethereum and roughly 500 times faster than Solana.

Whether these numbers are exaggerated remains to be seen after launch in September. But the focus isn’t whether LayerZero’s technology can truly deliver on its promises; it’s about what language it chooses to speak with Wall Street. Cathie Wood commented:

Zero is a breakthrough for blockchain entering mainstream markets, helping institutions overcome technical barriers to adoption.

DTCC will explore how to leverage Zero architecture to enhance its tokenization services; ICE is evaluating whether Zero can support 24/7 trading and integration of tokenized collateral; Google Cloud is partnering with LayerZero to explore real-time micro-payments via AI agents.

The Battle for Control of Crypto Infrastructure

Zero plans to launch in fall 2026 with three initial “regions”: a compatible EVM environment, a privacy-focused payment zone, and a dedicated cross-asset trading zone. This modular design allows different types of institutions to choose environments best suited to their needs while sharing LayerZero’s cross-chain interoperability.

However, as traditional financial institutions begin directly participating in blockchain infrastructure development, how much meaning remains in the term “decentralization”? Zero will be a “permissionless, verifiable, build-and-trade” network, but its design goals, partners, and governance structure clearly prioritize institutional needs.

This may not be a bad thing. For blockchain technology to truly transform financial infrastructure, it will eventually need to coexist with traditional finance players. But it also means that the future blockchain world might not be a flat structure governed collectively by miners, validators, and communities, but a layered system dominated by institutional capital, with retail participants involved but lacking influence.

Zero will use the ZRO token for governance and staking. Its initial plans include an EVM-compatible zone, a privacy payment zone, and a trading zone. Driven by this, ZRO has surged over 15% in the past 24 hours.