From Layer 1, Layer 2 to Layer 3, the blockchain island effect is becoming more and more obvious, and multi-chain interconnection has also attracted more attention. One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. All things cannot be separated from one. No one knows whether there will be L4, L5, and Ln above L3, but one of the most pressing issues at present is how to combine the scattered liquidity islands.
Using the model of "Island Economics", imagine a country made up of islands, with inconvenient transportation and an immature financial system. Each island has its own independent currency and trading system. You want to shop between different islands, but you need to exchange currency and pay handling fees every time you cross islands, and you have to worry about losing your money. This is the interaction dilemma currently faced by blockchain users: dispersed liquidity, high transaction costs, and insecurity.
But if this island nation has a comprehensive trading center that brings together the currencies of different islands on one platform, there is no need to frequently exchange currencies, pay high fees, or worry about asset security. This is the multi-chain liquidity aggregation function achieved by zkLink, which makes its function surpass that of traditional cross-chain bridges.
Based on this, zkLink has created two major products: zkLink Nova and zkLink X.
zkLink Nova is the first aggregated L3 zkEVM Rollup network built on Ethereum and Ethereum L2. It uses the zero-knowledge Ethereum virtual machine to aggregate assets on multiple L2 networks of Ethereum to solve Ethereum's liquidity and asset dispersion problems.
zkLink X is an aggregated Rollup infrastructure that supports customized multi-chain dApp development, connecting L2 and L1, allowing developers to feel like they are building applications on a single chain, but in fact they can access the liquidity of multiple chains.
Going back to the analogy just now, zkLink Nova is like a visa card, which allows you to shop (interact) freely between shopping malls in various different islands without having to repeatedly exchange currency.
zkLink X is like a universal toolbox. No matter what type of shopping mall store (dapp) you want to build, you can customize it according to your needs, just like building blocks, and these stores also support currencies from different islands.
In this way, zkLink not only integrates liquidity scattered on different chains, reducing transaction costs and security risks, but also simplifies the multi-chain deployment of dApps, improves user experience and ensures the security of dApp development.
Multi-chain and cross-chain are already old-fashioned topics, but we need to know that zkLink is not a cross-chain bridge, but a chain that aggregates multi-chain liquidity.
The zkLink protocol is a multi-chain ZK-Rollup infrastructure consisting of four layers, including the settlement layer, execution layer, sorting layer, and data availability layer. These layers are independent of each other and support customized application Rollup deployment. However, the core value of the zkLink protocol lies mainly in the settlement layer and execution layer.
As the core part, zkLink's settlement layer is similar to an aggregated settlement center that can integrate multiple chains and use synchronization technology to ensure that each transaction can be verified on multiple chains to prevent fraudulent operations.
Traditional cross-chain vs multi-chain aggregation. Transactions between different blockchains will increase costs and complicate the experience. Both traditional cross-chain and multi-chain aggregation are solutions to this problem.
However, the cost of cross-chain token transactions is still high, and it is still difficult for users to conduct seamless and cheap token interactions between different chains. Another point is that cross-chain has always been the biggest risk area for asset security. Traditional cross-chain solutions usually have a high degree of centralization and are vulnerable to hacker attacks.
zkLink creatively applies zero-knowledge proof to multi-chain interoperability and adopts a decentralized decentralization design. It does not require a third party to guarantee the security of assets and transactions. At the same time, it ensures the security and consistency of transactions and state transitions, reduces the risk of asset custody, and greatly improves security and efficiency.
In addition to multi-chain aggregation, another highlight of zkLink is that it has built a third layer, zkLink Nova, which combines the liquidity islands of Ethereum L2.
The rise of the L2 craze has added a highway to Ethereum, making transactions faster and cheaper, but at the same time it has created a non-interoperable and fragmented blockchain landscape where liquidity is trapped on isolated chains.
Unlike most networks that are designed to meet specific application needs and are deployed on a single L2, zkLink Nova is a general-purpose L3 aggregation network built on top of Ethereum and multiple L2 networks, with Ethereum and its L2 acting together as the settlement layer.
Therefore, zkLink builds L3 zkLink Nova not only with the goal of making each layer cheaper than the previous one, but also with the vision of "one Nova for the world".
In simple terms, ETH deposited from different L2s will automatically merge into the same ETH on Nova. In contrast, any assets on Layer 2 connected by zkLink Nova can be bridged to the Layer 3 network for fast and interoperable transactions. Although it sacrifices the atomic interoperability of cross-aggregation transactions, it provides the broadest liquidity that can aggregate the entire Ethereum ecosystem.
After talking about technological innovation, let’s look at project development. Since the launch of the mainnet in March 2024, the zkLink Nova ecosystem can be said to have made tremendous progress. As of early June, it has covered more than 90 project partner projects involving DeFi, tools, social, games, and NFTs.
On March 14, zkLink Nova launched the first season of the Aggregation Parade reward event, which will last for one month. Tokens including ETH, L2 native tokens, stablecoins, LST and LRT will have the opportunity to obtain Nova points, encouraging users to deposit their assets into the L3 Nova mainnet.
Simply put, users can obtain Nova points through cross-chain, staking and inviting new users, which can be exchanged for ZKL tokens in the future.
Currently, the second season of the Aggregation Parade reward event is in progress, and Nova points can be increased by interacting with dApps that cooperate with zkLink Nova.
From the above, we can see that the team has put a lot of effort into promoting user growth in the zkLink Nova ecosystem, and the data performance is also very impressive.
The currently running Alpha mainnet has used zkLink technology to conduct over 10 million transactions and generated 800,000 unique addresses.
In terms of financing, zkLink raised US$4.68 million through CoinList community sales in January this year. In May last year, zkLink completed a US$10 million strategic financing, with Coinbase Ventures, SIG, BigBrain Holdings and others participating in the investment.
To date, zkLink has raised a total of $23.18 million in funding and will further develop the Nova protocol.
Currently, the zkLink Nova mainnet is online, and the team is upgrading the light node oracle network ZK Oracle that verifies cross-chain status as part of improving the zkLink X protocol.
In the future, zkLink will also undergo a series of important upgrades, including support for external data availability solutions, decentralized proof auction markets, etc.
Currently, zkLink’s sorting service is centrally managed, and the team plans to integrate decentralized solutions such as Espresso, Astria, and Fairblock in the future to reduce centralization risks. In addition, the ZKL token is also about to be launched, and the team is preparing for TGE. It can be seen that zkLink is constantly improving on the road to bringing unprecedented liquidity aggregation to Ethereum and its L2.
If achieving “seamless on-chain interaction” was just a pipe dream, then perhaps zkLink is turning the dream into reality.
In the end, only time will tell which layer will be the final winner in the battle between L1, L2 and L3. At the same time, the market will also tell us that L1 and L2 will always have their necessity, and this is not a zero-sum game.
The future is destined to be an era of multi-chain coexistence, and zkLink will become a key hub, connecting the various components and systems of the L1 and L2 ecosystems. It can be imagined that zkLink is leading a new era of more interconnected multi-chains, bringing more new opportunities.
