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Ethereum Gets Another Privacy Boost as Aztec Brings Back zk.money
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Ethereum Gets Another Privacy Boost as Aztec Brings Back zk.money
Aztec Labs relaunched zk.money on September 29, 2026, reviving the self-custodial wallet it shut down three years earlier. It now operates on Aztec Network, described as a privacy-first Ethereum layer-2 that settles to Ethereum. Users can send and receive stablecoins without publicly revealing balances, amounts or recipients.
Users claim tags such as bob.zk.money through the Ethereum Name Service, which resolves them to deposit addresses. Their devices generate zero-knowledge proofs that validate transactions without exposing details. Aztec CEO Joe Andrews said financial histories need not be public onchain. Aztec says users, not administrators, control the wallet.
Privacy applies only inside the wallet: Ethereum deposits remain public, while payments between zk.money users stay hidden. Users can fund it with USDC, USDT or DAI from an exchange or Ethereum wallet. Early transaction limits are $2,500 each, alongside a shared daily deposit ceiling of $50,000.
zk.money debuted in 2021 and drew more than 75,000 wallets and $100 million in volume. Aztec paused it to build its network, then extended the technology to decentralized finance through Aztec Connect. It had raised $17 million in a Paradigm-led round that year. Those figures indicate substantial use before the relaunch.
Privacy is rising on Ethereum’s agenda. Developers are considering a proposal for the 2027 Hegotá upgrade that would let privacy pools pay transaction fees without intermediaries. Vitalik Buterin also said specialized apps could gain “very strong privacy” through zero-knowledge proofs. Such proposals could improve the infrastructure surrounding privacy wallets.
Aztec has not said when transaction caps will change, and public deposit visibility remains a key limitation. Future adoption will depend on whether users consider those trade-offs acceptable. zk.money’s return will test whether its earlier momentum can translate into sustained activity.
