ZetaChain: The Interoperable Platform for All Chains - Your Passport to the Web3 World

In the wave of the multi-chain era, numerous public chains have emerged, but what followed was a tide of declining liquidity and exhausted funds. Some public chains rely on cross-chain bridges to introduce assets; however, when security issues arise with these cross-chain bridges, the ecosystems of these public chains suffer devastating blows, sounding alarms for the entire industry.

Against this backdrop, ZetaChain was born. As a forward-looking omnichain interoperability platform, it aims to address the fragmentation and limitations present in the existing blockchain ecosystem. By seamlessly connecting assets and data across different blockchain networks, ZetaChain opens up new possibilities for the development and operation of decentralized applications (DApps).

The core team of ZetaChain brings together senior industry leaders from well-known companies in the industry. These team members translate their extensive experience in the Web3 field and deep insights into market demands into the core technologies and strategic direction of ZetaChain. Their shared vision is to create a blockchain that can serve as a passport to the Web3 world, thereby simplifying and accelerating the development of decentralized applications and improving user experience.

In the development of blockchain, interoperability has always been a core issue. ZetaChain not only provides a completely new solution technically but also innovates the standards in its implementation. Through its unique multiparty computing system and threshold signature scheme, ZetaChain achieves interoperability with traditional non-smart contract chains such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin.

The following is an in-depth conversation we had with the ZetaChain team, revealing how this project is bringing transformation to the decentralized ecosystem in the Web3 era.

Core Contributors of ZetaChain and Their Experience Applications

The core contributors of ZetaChain, after participating in multiple Web3 projects, recognized the necessity of building ZetaChain and the concept of the "one blockchain that is needed." Currently, decentralized application developers face complexity issues when building products for multiple chains, and this step is essential for seizing opportunities in the Web3 market. They also often need to consider how to ensure that their products can adapt to the development and changes of future technologies. ZetaChain not only addresses these issues but also simplifies the user experience. These challenges stem directly from the team's previous work experience in the crypto industry.

How ZetaChain Achieves Universal Interoperability

ZetaChain adopts a multi-party computation system, where each signature validator holds a portion of the private key. On each connected chain, there is an account derived from this private key. Using a Threshold Signature Scheme (TSS), validators can sign transactions from this TSS account. Since the TSS account is a regular external account, it does not need to execute smart contract logic on the connected chain, which enables interoperability even for chains like Bitcoin that do not support smart contracts.

Tokens transferred to the TSS address on the connected platform will become ZRC-20 wrapped tokens on ZetaChain. Withdrawing ZRC-20 from ZetaChain to the connected platform will trigger the transfer of tokens from the TSS address to the recipient.

Omnichain Technology Enhances Cross-Chain Use Cases and Asset Transfers

Omnichain contracts allow DApp developers to create DApps that can accept inputs from any connected chain and trigger outputs to any connected chain. Compared to cross-chain messaging, the advantage of Omnichain is that it is architecturally simpler because it does not require the deployment and management of dozens of contracts across different chains. Omnichain also enables interoperability on non-smart contract chains like Bitcoin, effectively providing a way to build Omnichain smart contracts for Bitcoin users.

Performance and Security of the ZetaEVM Module

ZetaChain uses the Ethermint Cosmos SDK module, which provides full EVM compatibility. In terms of single-chain performance and security, ZetaChain is comparable to other Cosmos blockchains that use the same EVM module. To achieve omnichain functionality, the ZetaChain team developed a custom Cosmos SDK module, EVM contracts, and an off-chain observer called zetaclient, which collectively enhance the omnichain capabilities of traditional EVM contracts.

Implementation of Multi-Chain Functionality in ZetaChain

ZetaChain does not require third-party cross-chain bridges, as ZetaChain's own mechanism provides cross-chain messaging and token transfer capabilities. ZetaChain focuses on moving native non-wrapped assets between different chains, so users can receive native tokens on the target chain. This approach makes the entire process more secure, as once the cross-chain transaction is completed, users no longer rely on ZetaChain (or anyone else) to revert the assets back to the original chain.

Although there are indeed ZRC-20 wrapped tokens that represent assets transferred from connected chains on ZetaChain. For operations such as cross-chain transactions, these wrapped tokens only exist during the transaction process, and end users do not interact with them directly.

Advantages Brought by Technology Choices

ZetaChain adopts the Comet BFT consensus engine, which provides instant transaction finality, high throughput, and reliability. The Cosmos SDK offers developers a range of ready-made building blocks, such as staking modules, governance modules, and EVM-compatible layers. The modular nature of the Cosmos SDK allows the ZetaChain protocol team to develop modules that enable cross-chain messaging and support for fungible token Omnichain contracts.

ZetaChain's Strategy to Attract Users and Developers

ZetaChain believes that for developers who want to build Web3 applications and services, choosing which chain to launch their products on is very challenging, and the process of expanding to other chains is equally difficult. The vision of building a single chain that can access all other chains has resonated within the global developer community. ZetaChain actively builds relationships with developers by participating in various events, organizing hackathons, and releasing development documentation, helping them to build applications. The team has cultivated close relationships with developers, actively seeking their feedback and suggestions. Additionally, an ecosystem grant program has been established to support promising developers in innovating related to Omnichain on ZetaChain.

ZetaChain's Ecosystem Planning

ZetaChain initially focused on DeFi projects due to the strong demand observed from users and developers in this area. Despite the current bear market environment, the DeFi space continues to show strong development momentum, making it reasonable to have robust demand for multi-chain expansion and growth. However, ZetaChain also collaborates widely with developers and DApps across various industries, including gaming, NFTs, social finance, and payments.

ZetaChain's Perspective on the Asian Community

Asia remains the core region for Web3. ZetaChain is proud of the community established in Asia and their enthusiasm for ZetaChain. The team collaborates with local ambassadors and communities and regularly participates in key events to ensure they stay connected and responsive to the needs of developers and the local community.

ZetaChain Mainnet Launch Plan

Regarding the specific time of the mainnet launch, ZetaChain is currently unable to provide detailed information. However, it is recommended to follow and subscribe to their social media accounts to ensure timely updates on the latest news and announcements.