Zano’s Zenith aims for 15-second blocks, 60–90s confirmations

Zano has begun implementing Zenith, a privacy-focused pure proof-of-stake protocol, and plans a conditional network transition in 2027. Activation will depend on testing, analysis and community review; no firm date has been set. The team worked with blockchain research firm Common Prefix and chose Zenith over an alternative research path because it extends Zano’s existing Zarcanum privacy technology.

Under the proposed parameters, block production would speed from about one minute to roughly 15 seconds. The recommended confirmation threshold would fall from 10 blocks to between four and six, which Zano estimates would reduce typical confirmation time to about 60–90 seconds once testing validates the design.

Zenith is designed to select block producers without revealing how much they have staked or creating permanent public links between outputs and identities. The protocol aims to protect balances, transaction histories and user identities while allowing secure validator selection.

To limit storage and sync demands from a higher block rate, Zenith introduces ephemeral blocks. Zano proposes grouping 40 blocks into a 10-minute epoch. After finalization and a retention period, most blocks would be compacted into short cryptographic records that keep chain structure and required commitments. One block reward per epoch would remain permanently recorded in the global output index; the other 39 reward records would not require permanent indexing. Operators who need full history can run an optional archival mode.

The shift to pure proof-of-stake would end proof-of-work mining rewards. Miners currently receive about 720 newly created ZANO per day, equal to roughly 21,600 ZANO per month or 262,800 ZANO per year. Those emissions would stop once Zenith activates. Zano says the change could reduce the flow of newly created tokens into circulation and remove some selling tied to mining costs, and it has not provided any price forecast.

Alongside the technical announcement, Zano launched an official forum to host technical discussion, questions and community support. Forum users can verify on-chain aliases to receive a visible badge that distinguishes authenticated accounts. Zano also released a desktop Lite Wallet Beta for Windows, Mac and Linux on May 22, 2026, which connects users to remote nodes.

Zano launched its hybrid proof-of-work and proof-of-stake network in 2019. Zenith represents the project’s planned transition to a pure proof-of-stake consensus rooted in Zarcanum privacy technology; the timeline and specific parameters remain subject to validation through testing and network review.

Andrey Sabelnikov, Zano co-founder and core developer, described Zenith as “the result of more than 12 years of research into how a network can gain the benefits of modern proof of stake while preserving the privacy that users expect from Zano.”