ZetaChain: Leading a New Era of Cross-Chain Interoperability

In the wave of the multi-chain era, numerous public chains have emerged one after another, but along with them come the issues of liquidity withdrawal and funding shortages. Some public chains rely on cross-chain bridges to bring in assets, and when these bridges exhibit security vulnerabilities, the entire ecosystem suffers a severe blow, ringing alarm bells for the entire industry.

It is against this backdrop that ZetaChain was born. As a forward-looking full-chain interoperability platform, it is dedicated to solving the fragmentation and limitations of the current 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.

The core team of ZetaChain brings together seasoned leaders from well-known companies in the industry. These team members transform their extensive experience in the Web3 field and profound insights into market demands into the core technology 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 user experience.

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

ZetaChain is committed to becoming a true cross-chain interoperability and asset transfer platform by providing full-chain accounts. Below is an in-depth interview with the ZetaChain team, revealing how this project brings transformation to the decentralized ecosystem in the Web3 era.

Core Technology and Vision of ZetaChain

The core contributors of ZetaChain, after participating in multiple Web3 projects, recognized the necessity of establishing ZetaChain and the concept of the "only blockchain 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 products can adapt to future technological developments and changes. ZetaChain not only addresses these issues but also simplifies the user experience.

Achieving 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 allows for interoperability even with chains like Bitcoin that do not support smart contracts.

Tokens transferred to the TSS address on the connected chain will be converted into ZRC-20 wrapped tokens on ZetaChain. Withdrawing ZRC-20 from ZetaChain to the connected chain will trigger the transfer of tokens from the TSS address to the recipient.

Advantages of Omnichain Technology

Omnichain contracts allow DApp developers to create DApps that can accept inputs from any connected chain and trigger outputs to any connected chain. The advantage of Omnichain over cross-chain messaging is its architectural simplicity, as it eliminates the need to deploy and manage 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.

Innovation of 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 together enhance the Omnichain capabilities of regular EVM contracts.

Implementation of Multi-Chain Functionality

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 unwrapped assets across different chains, allowing users to receive native tokens on the target chain. This approach makes the entire process more secure, as once the cross-chain transfer is complete, users no longer rely on ZetaChain (or anyone else) to return the assets to the original chain.

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

Technical Choices and Advantages

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 modularity of the Cosmos SDK enables the protocol team of ZetaChain to develop modules that implement cross-chain messaging and support for alternative tokens through Omnichain contracts.

Strategies to Attract Users and Developers

ZetaChain actively builds relationships with developers by participating in various events, organizing hackathons, and publishing development documentation to help them build applications. They cultivate close relationships with developers, actively soliciting their feedback and suggestions. In addition, they have established an ecosystem grant program to support promising developers in Omnichain-related innovations on ZetaChain.

Future Ecological Planning

ZetaChain's initial focus was on DeFi projects, as they observed a strong demand from users and developers in this area. Even though it is currently a bear market, the DeFi sector continues to maintain strong growth momentum, making it reasonable to have a robust demand for multi-chain expansion and growth. However, they also collaborate extensively with developers and DApps across various industries, including gaming, NFTs, social finance, and payments.

Asia Community Strategy

ZetaChain believes that Asia remains the core area of Web3. They are proud of the communities established in Asia and their enthusiasm for ZetaChain. ZetaChain 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 local communities.

Regarding the specific time of the mainnet launch, ZetaChain cannot provide detailed information at this time. However, they suggest following and subscribing to their social media accounts to ensure you stay updated on the latest news and announcements.