ZetaChain (ZETA)

Overview

ZetaChain (ZETA) began as a blockchain built to connect other blockchains. Its goal was to let an application work with assets and messages from networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum through one place. In 2026, the project shifted toward a different kind of connection: helping people carry their private information between artificial intelligence (AI) models and apps. Its first consumer product in this direction is Anuma, a multi-model AI app powered by ZETA. (zetachain.com)

A major transition is underway. On September 20, 2026, ZETA holders approved a proposal to move the token and Anuma to Solana and eventually wind down ZetaChain’s independent Layer 1 blockchain. The approved plan calls for a one-for-one conversion into a native Solana token. A second proposal is set to define the snapshot, conversion process, and dates. Until that process takes place, the original network continues to operate. (zetachain.com)

History & Team

From cross-chain apps to private AI

ZetaChain was founded in 2021 to make separate blockchain networks easier to use together. Its mainnet beta launched on February 1, 2024. Developers could deploy contracts to its Ethereum-compatible environment and build applications that interacted with connected chains. The project later expanded its work into AI, then announced in June 2026 that it would wind down its cross-chain interoperability features to focus on private memory, identity, and payments for AI apps. (zetachain.com)

ZetaChain’s early contributors included Ankur Nandwani, a former Coinbase and Brave employee who also co-founded Basic Attention Token; Brandon Truong, whose background includes BuzzFeed and Udacity; and Panruo Wu, an early THORChain contributor. In August 2023, the project announced a $27 million funding round with participants including Blockchain.com, Human Capital, Vy Capital, Jane Street Capital, CMT Digital, Foundation Capital, and GSR. Later work with companies such as Coinbase and Google Cloud included validator activity; that role was distinct from participation in the funding round. (zetachain.com)

Technology & How It Works

The original blockchain design

ZetaChain’s Layer 1 was built with the Cosmos SDK and secured through proof-of-stake. Validators helped agree on network transactions. Its Universal EVM—the part of the network that ran Ethereum-style smart contracts—gave developers a familiar way to write an application once and connect it to several chains. This was especially useful for Bitcoin-related apps, because Bitcoin itself has limited support for the kinds of smart contracts used in decentralized finance. (zetachain.com)

For a cross-chain transaction, network participants observed activity on an outside blockchain and reported it to ZetaChain. A threshold signature scheme let a group of signers authorize outgoing transactions without any one signer holding the complete key. Assets brought into ZetaChain’s EVM were represented there as ZRC-20 tokens. For example, a Bitcoin deposit to a network-managed address could be reflected as a ZRC-20 BTC balance for use by an application. These were useful design features of the original system, whose connected-chain support is being wound down. (zetachain.com)

Memory across AI models

The newer technology centers on an encrypted memory vault. Anuma uses it to carry a person’s preferences, files, and other chosen context between supported AI models. A wallet-derived key serves as the user’s identity. According to the project, memory is encrypted on the user’s device, while an AI request receives only the context needed for that task. Anuma also lets users compare answers from different models without rebuilding their context each time. (zetachain.com)

The Solana proposal changes where ZETA would run and which validators would support it. It leaves the broader aim of portable AI memory in place. Features such as detailed permission records and automatic agent payments remain part of the project’s development plans rather than established features of every Anuma interaction. (zetachain.com)

Tokenomics & Utility

Supply and changing uses

ZETA launched with an initial supply of 2.1 billion tokens. The original distribution set aside tokens for areas including a protocol treasury, ecosystem development, and user growth. Project documents identify a 24% treasury allocation, a 12% Ecosystem Growth Fund, and a 10% User Growth Pool. Allocations for contributors and other participants were subject to vesting schedules. Under the approved Solana proposal, the planned conversion preserves the ZETA ticker, total supply, and original vesting dates, with no new tokens created for the move. (zetachain.com)

On ZetaChain’s original network, ZETA paid transaction fees, supported staking and network security, and gave holders a role in governance. Its most visible newer use is ZETA Access in Anuma: users lock ZETA to receive credits they can spend on AI usage. The project also plans uses tied to encrypted memory, creators, permission updates, and payments between AI agents. How staking and its rewards will work after a move to Solana is still being developed for the next proposal. (zetachain.com)

Ecosystem & Use Cases

What people can use

ZetaChain’s earlier ecosystem included cross-chain swaps, decentralized finance tools, and apps that used assets from connected networks. Its developer tools supported Solidity contracts, the same programming language commonly used for Ethereum apps. That history explains the token’s original gas and staking roles, even as the project moves away from operating a cross-chain Layer 1. (zetachain.com)

Anuma is now the clearest example of the project’s new direction. A user can keep one set of selected context while moving among AI models, rather than starting a separate conversation history with each one. Each Anuma account has a self-custodial wallet provisioned through Privy. In September 2026, ZetaChain reported that Anuma had passed 300,000 users and one million AI requests across its supported models. These figures describe reported use at that point in time, rather than a fixed feature of the token. (zetachain.com)

The app also shows how its features may expand. A September 2026 integration lets users ask Anuma for information from Polymarket and receive a link to the relevant market. Placing a trade directly from AI chat was still under exploration. More broadly, ZetaChain aims to let other AI apps use its memory and access system, with ZETA serving as a shared token for that activity. (zetachain.com)

Advantages & Challenges

A simpler experience, with work still ahead

ZetaChain’s original advantage was a single place for developers to build apps spanning several networks, including Bitcoin. Anuma applies a similar idea to AI: one identity and one selected memory can work across multiple models. Locking ZETA for AI credits gives the token a use inside an app people can already access, rather than only a proposed role in future infrastructure. (zetachain.com)

The shift also creates substantial technical and organizational work. ZetaChain is winding down connected-chain features while preparing a token conversion and moving its AI product toward Solana. Exchanges must confirm their own conversion arrangements, and the next governance proposal must set out how balances will move. For developers and users of the earlier blockchain, the project’s center of activity is changing from cross-chain contracts to AI memory and access. Its longer-term plans for agent payments and creator rewards will depend on those tools being built and used. (zetachain.com)

Where to Buy & Wallets

Exchanges and supported networks

ZETA is available on Coinbase and Kraken. Availability and account requirements depend on a buyer’s location. ZetaChain’s network also supports Ethereum-compatible wallets such as MetaMask when the ZetaChain network is added. Anuma accounts include a self-custodial wallet created through Privy, connecting the app’s AI identity to a wallet key. (coinbase.com)

The token’s network matters when moving it between a wallet and an exchange. The Solana proposal concerns a future native SPL version of ZETA, while the proposal states that existing versions on Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain are outside that change. Participating exchanges and the conversion method are to be specified before the move takes place. (zetachain.com)

Regulatory & Compliance

Legal and religious considerations

Crypto-asset rules vary by jurisdiction and by the activity involved. In the European Union, ZETA has a published white paper prepared under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, or MiCA. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2026 guidance explains how federal securities laws apply to different kinds of crypto assets and to the ways they are offered and sold. Neither framework turns the token’s technical uses alone into a complete statement about every service built around it. (zetachain.com)

For Islamic finance, a Shariah assessment considers both an asset’s structure and the transactions in which it is used. Principles described by the UAE central bank include avoiding interest (riba), excessive uncertainty (gharar), and gambling. ZETA’s uses range from paying network fees and unlocking AI access to supporting applications with different activities. Its Shariah status therefore depends on the particular use being assessed; the token’s utility alone does not establish a single halal classification for all uses. (centralbank.ae)

Future Outlook

The next phase

ZetaChain’s immediate direction is to bring ZETA, Anuma, and the private memory layer to Solana. The approved proposal establishes that direction, but the second vote must still define the practical conversion steps. The team also intends to make its AI application layer available to more apps and agents, so access to portable memory can extend beyond Anuma. (zetachain.com)

That makes product use a key measure of the project’s progress. Anuma has shown that people will try an AI app built around shared context. The next question is how much of its planned system—fine-grained permissions, creator tools, and payments for agent activity—becomes part of everyday use. ZETA’s role will evolve alongside those products and the proposed change in network. (zetachain.com)

Summary

ZetaChain began by connecting blockchains and built a working Layer 1 around that goal. It now focuses on portable, user-controlled memory for AI, with Anuma as its first consumer app and ZETA as an access token. Holder approval of a move to Solana marks a major change in its design. The project’s place in the crypto ecosystem will be shaped by how that move proceeds and how widely its AI tools are used. (zetachain.com)