Horizen launched its mainnet as an EVM-native Layer 3 on Base on December 9, 2025, completing a multi-stage migration aimed at delivering privacy-preserving, auditable execution for on-chain business. The move converted ZEN into an ERC-20 token on Base and formally wound down the legacy mainchain and EON sidechain, positioning the project for deeper DeFi integration and regulatory alignment.
Migration to Base and ZEN’s ERC-20 transition
The migration converted ZEN to an ERC-20 token on Base, a process largely completed by July 23, 2025, with node operators instructed to upgrade to ZEN 5.0.7 by June 11, 2025 to ensure continuity. This timeline marked the culmination of coordinated technical steps to maintain user balances and operational stability during the transition.
As part of the changeover, the project decommissioned its original proof-of-work mainchain and the EON sidechain, and made a claim portal available for tokens left on the legacy network. This ensured holders could retrieve assets while the network architecture shifted to its new Base-aligned model.
To reduce transitional risk, migration contracts and claim tools underwent independent security reviews, with audits conducted by Halborn and Cantina. These assessments focused on safeguarding the upgrade path, even though they cannot fully eliminate the operational contingencies inherent to large-scale migrations.
Horizen’s pivot aims to marry privacy technology with compliance and interoperability. By building on Base, an Ethereum Layer 2, the project gains full EVM compatibility and direct access to Ethereum’s developer tooling and liquidity pools, while embedding zero-knowledge proof generation at the chain level so developers can build privacy-first decentralized applications without separate tooling.
The team cites seven years of ZK research as the foundation for this redesign and highlights initiatives such as zkVerify to lower economic and technical barriers to ZK adoption. Governance and tokenomics changes were handled through the Horizen DAO via Horizen Improvement Proposals (ZenIPs), and the transition targets regulatory scrutiny associated with standalone privacy coins by emphasizing auditable private execution intended for regulated environments rather than purely anonymous usage.
Making ZEN an ERC-20 on Base increases potential liquidity and interoperability with DeFi protocols already operating in the Ethereum ecosystem. For traders and crypto treasuries, that broadens access to pools and on-chain markets, while for institutions, the auditable privacy model seeks to balance confidentiality with compliance needs, even as audits by Halborn and Cantina only reduce, rather than eliminate, migration risk and operational issues such as missed node upgrades or stranded tokens.
Overall, Horizen’s relaunch reframes the project from an independent privacy coin to a purpose-built privacy platform layered into Ethereum’s stack. The new positioning prioritizes developer adoption and regulatory compatibility over the earlier model of maximal anonymity.
The mainnet launch on Base completes Horizen’s reorientation toward a regulated, privacy-first L3 with ERC-20 ZEN live on Base and audited migration tooling. This marks the consolidation of Horizen’s strategy to deliver compliant, privacy-enabled infrastructure natively integrated into the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
