ZKsync Lite Shutdown Planned for 2026: Ethereum’s First ZK Rollup to Close

TLDR

• ZKsync Lite, Ethereum’s first zero-knowledge rollup launched in 2020, will be deprecated in 2026
• The network was a proof-of-concept that supported transfers and NFT minting but lacked smart contract functionality
• Matter Labs stopped active development on ZKsync Lite in March 2023 after launching ZKsync Era
• About $50 million in user funds remain bridged to the network, which now processes fewer than 200 daily operations
• Users don’t need to take immediate action as funds remain safe and withdrawals to Ethereum will continue working

ZKsync has announced plans to shut down ZKsync Lite in 2026. The network was the first zero-knowledge rollup to launch on Ethereum.

Matter Labs, the company behind ZKsync, launched ZKsync Lite in June 2020. The network was designed as a payments-focused scaling solution for Ethereum.

ZKsync Lite supported token transfers, atomic swaps, and NFT minting. However, it did not support smart contracts, which limited what users could do on the network.

The technology served as a testing ground for zero-knowledge systems on Ethereum. The team called it a “groundbreaking proof-of-concept” that validated critical ideas for building production ZK systems.

The network was the first to use validity proofs. These proofs instantly confirmed if a transaction was valid before bundling transactions and sending them to Ethereum for final validation.

Matter Labs stopped developing ZKsync Lite in March 2023. This happened when the company launched ZKsync Era, a full-featured zkEVM that supports smart contracts.

Current Network Status

According to L2BEAT data, approximately $50 million in user funds remain on ZKsync Lite. The network now processes fewer than 200 daily operations.

By comparison, ZKsync Era has $36.4 million locked in decentralized finance protocols. It processes over 22,000 user operations per day.

ZKsync stated that no immediate action is required from users. The network continues operating normally.

Other ZKsync Products

The deprecation does not affect other ZKsync products. The team said the next steps belong to systems built with the ZK Stack, Prividiums, and the broader ZKsync network.

The announcement comes during a challenging period for ZKsync. The network recently ended its Ignite liquidity rewards program due to bearish market conditions.

The Aave DAO is also considering removing its deployment on ZKsync Era. This is due to low revenue generation on the platform.

Last month, ZKsync co-creator Alex Gluchowski proposed changes to the ZK governance token. The proposal would tie the token more closely to network fees to prioritize economic utility.

The post ZKsync Lite Shutdown Planned for 2026: Ethereum’s First ZK Rollup to Close appeared first on CoinCentral.