Zero Blockchain Lands Citadel, ARK Backing with Ambitious Scaling Plans

LayerZero Labs has secured strategic investments from Citadel Securities and ARK Invest to launch its new layer-1 blockchain, Zero. The project aims to process up to 2 million transactions per second by utilizing zero-knowledge proofs and the Jolt virtual machine.

The Zero blockchain will have three permissionless environments called zones, all governed by the underlying network. LayerZero, the native token of the LayerZero protocol, will enable interoperability between these zones and across more than 165 existing blockchains.

Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, will join Zero's advisory board alongside executives from Intercontinental Exchange and former BNY Mellon leadership. Citadel Securities has made a strategic investment in LayerZero, while Tether's investment arm has also invested in the project.