Locked Value on zkSync Era Climbs Past $100M

The newly launched zkSync Era blockchain is seeing brisk activity as value locked on the network crossed $100 million this past weekend amid a flurry of new token releases.

Data from L2Beat, a website that tracks activity on layer 2 networks built on top of the Ethereum blockchain, shows over $69 million worth of ether (ETH) and nearly $30 million in USD coin (USDC) stablecoins have been locked on zkSync. The amount is likely distributed among several zkSync-based projects for purchasing ecosystem tokens or providing liquidity to exchanges on the network.

More than 3.3 million transactions have been conducted on the network since it went live on March 24. The network can process 4.4 transactions per second.

The network supports "ZK rollups," which are a type of blockchain scaling system based on cryptography known as zero-knowledge proofs.

These features are seen as a key advance in speeding up blockchain transactions and reducing the cost of network activity.

Populating the zkSync ecosystem are decentralized-finance tokens, which power lending, trading and borrowing services, and meme coins fashioned after the popular Shiba Inu dog breed.

DefiLlama data shows that decentralized exchanges SyncSwap and Mute hold over $30 million in locked tokens. Mute’s native MUTE tokens have a market capitalization of $47 million. SyncSwap hasn't issued tokens as of early April.

Over $19 million is locked on SyncSwap’s liquidity pool for USDC and ether – which is paying annualized yields of 46%, or one of the highest figures in the crypto market as of Monday.

As such, meme coins are making a mark as well. DEXScreener data shows tokens such as ZKDoge, ZKInu and ZkSync SHIB have attracted millions of dollars in trading volumes since their recent launches.

Traction on these meme-coin tokens has been tepid so far, with highly volatile prices and market capitalizations of under $5 million.

Some say the zkSync launch has been muted relative to the hype, however.

“The recently launched zkSync Era mainnet is a sign that the evolutionary trend in the overall blockchain ecosystem is unimpeded; however, the low number of projects building on it is a sign that the Web3.0 world isn’t fully prepared to welcome this innovation for now,” Maia Benzimra, head of institutional marketing at SpoolDAO, said in a Telegram message.

Benzimra added that adoption may surge quickly as and when more innovative projects are built for users.

“The trend can change within the twinkling of an eye when innovative products building solutions that address the core needs of users are designed and launched. zkSync is notably a major upgrade for addressing the scalability of the Ethereum protocol, and in no time, it is bound to find its rhythm and carve out a functional niche for itself in the ecosystem,” Benzimra said.