Private by default · Open source
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Zano protocol

How Zano protects payment details.

Standard transfers protect who pays whom, the amount and the asset type from public ledger observers. Zarcanum extends that protection to staking.

What Zano protects.

Financial activity can reveal what you own and who you pay. Zano verifies standard transfers while keeping those details confidential.

Sender
Ring signaturesThe ledger does not identify which member of the signer set spent the output.
Receiver
Stealth addressesA one-time destination for each payment protects the recipient address.
Amount + asset
Commitments and proofsThe network verifies payment values and asset type while keeping them confidential.
Stake
ZarcanumProtects the staked balance and staking identity while the network verifies eligibility.

Protect the people using your app.

Use confidential transfers for payments and tokens, private staking, and swaps that settle without handing custody to an intermediary.

Application requestSend
On-chain visibility
SenderPrivateReceiverPrivateAmountPrivateAsset typePrivate

Standard transfers protect these details from public ledger observers.

Product outcome
WalletCardPayment

Compare protocol capabilities.

The comparison includes privacy for a network’s native currency and whether its users can issue private assets of their own.

Private user-issued assets

Anyone can issue a private token.

Confidential Assets are currencies and tokens with privacy built into standard transfers. Addresses, amounts and asset type stay confidential on the ledger.

Build a Confidential Asset (opens in a new tab)
Open issuance
Issue assets directly on Zano L1.
Issuer controls
Define supply, mint, burn, update and policy controls.
Private transfers
Protect payment details when people use currencies, credits, loyalty points and marketplace units.
CapabilityZanoMoneroZcash
Privacy defaultSender, receiver, amount and asset type protected by defaultPrivate transactions are automaticShielded and transparent transactions are both supported
Consensus todayHybrid PoW and private PoSRandomX Proof of WorkEquihash-based Proof of Work
Native holder stakingYes, self-staking from a full nodeNoNo
Private user-issued assetsYes. Anyone can issue a live Confidential Asset with private transfersSingle-currency focusNo Zano-style Confidential Assets
Private asset swapsIonic Swaps are liveNot a native asset-platform primitiveNot a Zano-style native primitive

Privacy default

Zano
Sender, receiver, amount and asset type protected by default
Monero
Private transactions are automatic
Zcash
Shielded and transparent transactions are both supported

Consensus today

Zano
Hybrid PoW and private PoS
Monero
RandomX Proof of Work
Zcash
Equihash-based Proof of Work

Native holder staking

Zano
Yes, self-staking from a full node
Monero
No
Zcash
No

Private user-issued assets

Zano
Yes. Anyone can issue a live Confidential Asset with private transfers
Monero
Single-currency focus
Zcash
No Zano-style Confidential Assets

Private asset swaps

Zano
Ionic Swaps are live
Monero
Not a native asset-platform primitive
Zcash
Not a Zano-style native primitive
Zano definitions (opens in a new tab)Monero definitions (opens in a new tab)Zcash definitions (opens in a new tab)

Read the implementation.

DocumentationConcepts, guides and RPC references (opens in a new tab)Source codeCore node and wallet implementation (opens in a new tab)Zarcanum paperProof of stake with hidden amounts (opens in a new tab)