Zano (ZANO): how it works, supply and reviews
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Key facts
- Ticker
- ZANO
- Official site
- zano.org
- Source code
- github.com/hyle-team/zano
Data: CoinGecko (trading activity) and CoinPaprika (links), 2026-10-27. Only projects that still trade with meaningful volume are listed.
What is Zano
Zano is an open-source layer-1 blockchain where every transaction is private by default: amounts, addresses and asset types are hidden. It also lets anyone issue private tokens (Confidential Assets) and trade them peer-to-peer.
Network and consensus
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Privacy-focused layer-1 blockchain, written in C++, with roots in the CryptoNote protocol (not a Monero fork) |
| Consensus | Hybrid: alternating proof-of-work (ProgPowZ) and proof-of-stake (Zarcanum, with hidden staked amounts) blocks |
| Launched | 2019 |
| Block time | About 1 minute |
| Privacy | Ring signatures (ring size 16), stealth addresses and Bulletproofs+ hide sender, receiver and amount |
| Smart contracts | No; Zano is not an EVM chain, but supports native private tokens and a built-in DEX |
Supply and issuance
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Maximum supply | Uncapped |
| Initial supply | 17,517,203 ZANO |
| Issuance | Fixed block reward of 1 ZANO, paid in full to the miner or staker who found the block |
| Fee burn | All transaction fees (flat 0.01 ZANO) are burned; with enough usage, supply could become deflationary |
| Initial distribution | A premine of 3.69 million ZANO was set aside for development, marketing, partnerships and repaying a 2018 loan |
| Inflation | Declining over time towards 0% |
What ZANO is used for
- Private payments, with sender, receiver and amount hidden
- Staking: holders earn proof-of-stake rewards without revealing their balance, with no minimum or lock-up
- Transaction fees, which are burned
- On-chain governance voting
Who develops and governs Zano
- Founders
- Co-founder and lead developer Andrey Sabelnikov, who built the original CryptoNote codebase
- Developer
- The Zano team, previously behind Boolberry; development is funded by the premine
- Foundation
- A foundation fund held about 440,000 ZANO (2.9% of supply) as of July 2026
- Governance
- On-chain voting at vote.zano.org
- Open source
- Yes; code is public on GitHub
History
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Initial development funded by a loan, later repaid from the premine. |
| 2019 | Zano mainnet released and the original whitepaper published. |
| 2021 | Zarcanum paper published: proof of stake with hidden amounts. |
| 22 February 2024 | Software release for hard fork 4 (Zarcanum): private proof of stake and support for Confidential Assets. |
Security and audits
- The Zarcanum proof-of-stake scheme was reviewed by Cypher Stack.
- Zano's d/v-CLSAG ring signature scheme was also reviewed by Cypher Stack.
- The cryptography is published in research papers, including the whitepaper and the Zarcanum and Confidential Assets papers.
Risks and caveats
- No maximum supply: 1 ZANO is issued per block indefinitely, offset only by fee burns.
- A premine of 3.69 million ZANO funds the team; most of it has already been spent.
- Network-level metadata such as IP addresses is not hidden by the protocol itself.
Official links
- Website: zano.org
- Docs: docs.zano.org
- Source code: github.com/hyle-team/zano
- Block explorer: explorer.zano.org
Questions and answers
What is Zano?
Zano is a privacy-first layer-1 blockchain where amounts, addresses and asset types are hidden by default, with support for private tokens.
Who created Zano?
Zano was co-founded by Andrey Sabelnikov, lead developer of the original CryptoNote codebase; the team previously built Boolberry.
What is the maximum supply of ZANO?
There is none. The block reward is fixed at 1 ZANO, and all transaction fees are burned.
How does Zano consensus work?
Zano alternates proof-of-work blocks (ProgPowZ) with proof-of-stake blocks (Zarcanum), producing a block about every minute.
Sources
- CoinGecko — Zano
- CoinPaprika — Zano
- Zano Docs — What is Zano
- Zano Docs — Emission, Funding & Specifications
- Zano Docs — Hybrid PoW/PoS Consensus
- Zano Docs — Privacy Technology
- Zano Docs — Frequently Asked Questions
- Zano Docs — Research & Audits
- Zano — release v2.0.0.266 (hard fork 4)
- Zano Explorer
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- VeThor (VTHO)
- All Crypto projects →
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