Horizen’s current price stands at $6.99**, with a 24-hour trading volume of **$9.84 million. Over the past day, ZEN has remained flat, recording a 0.00% change. The cryptocurrency has a circulating supply of 16.11 million ZEN and a maximum supply capped at 21 million ZEN, indicating a controlled inflation model designed to preserve long-term value.
What Is Horizen (ZEN)?
Horizen is more than just a cryptocurrency — it's a comprehensive blockchain ecosystem built for scalability, privacy, and developer flexibility. At its core, Horizen enables businesses and developers to launch custom public or private blockchains and decentralized applications (dApps) using its distributed network infrastructure.
One of Horizen’s standout features is its sidechain solution called Zendoo, a trustless cross-chain transfer protocol that allows seamless interoperability between the mainchain and independently operated sidechains. This architecture empowers developers to innovate without congesting the primary network, significantly enhancing scalability.
To ensure user privacy, Horizen integrates zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs) — advanced cryptographic techniques that allow transactions to be verified without revealing sender, recipient, or transaction amount. This makes Horizen particularly appealing in environments where data confidentiality is critical.
The native token of the ecosystem, ZEN, serves multiple functions:
- Facilitating transactions
- Rewarding miners and node operators
- Powering dApp interactions on sidechains
- Enabling governance and network security
ZEN supports two types of addresses:
- T-Addresses (Transparent): Public addresses similar to Bitcoin, where transaction details are visible on the blockchain.
- Z-Addresses (Shielded): Fully private addresses that leverage zk-SNARKs to hide all transaction metadata.
This dual-address system gives users full control over their privacy preferences — a rare and valuable feature in the blockchain space.
A Brief History of Horizen (ZEN)
Horizen originated in 2017 as ZenCash, founded by Robert Viglione (CEO of Horizen Labs) and Rolf Versluis (President of the Zen Blockchain Foundation). It began as a fork of Zclassic, which itself was derived from Zcash, inheriting its strong focus on privacy through zero-knowledge cryptography.
From inception, the project aimed to build a sustainable, privacy-first blockchain platform with built-in incentives for network participants. However, in June 2018, ZenCash suffered a 51% attack, during which attackers executed double-spend transactions totaling over 23,000 ZEN.
In response, the team swiftly upgraded the consensus mechanism by introducing a novel penalty system for delayed block reporting. This innovation made future 51% attacks exponentially more expensive and technically difficult — a solution now adopted by other blockchain projects like Pirl.
Amid ongoing confusion with Zcash and the aftermath of the attack, the team decided a rebrand was necessary. In August 2018, ZenCash officially became Horizen, marking a strategic shift from being just a privacy coin to becoming a full-fledged enterprise-grade blockchain platform focused on scalability and interoperability.
Importantly, Horizen did not conduct an ICO, pre-mine, or token sale. Instead, ZEN was distributed fairly via mining rewards. When Horizen forked from Zclassic at block #110000, holders of Zclassic received an equal amount of ZEN. Mining continued from block #110001, with a centralized treasury introduced to fund ongoing development.
How Does Horizen (ZEN) Work?
Horizen operates on a hybrid model combining Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanisms to maintain consensus and secure the network.
- PoW Miners: Secure the network by solving complex cryptographic puzzles using the Equihash algorithm, commonly used in privacy-focused coins.
- PoS Validators: Stake ZEN to validate transactions and participate in governance, increasing decentralization and energy efficiency.
Block rewards are distributed as follows:
- 60% to miners
- 20% to the treasury (funding development and operations)
- 20% to node operators
This distribution ensures sustainable growth while incentivizing active participation across different layers of the ecosystem.
The backbone of Horizen’s technical innovation is the Zendoo protocol, which enables fully customizable sidechains that can operate under independent rulesets while remaining securely anchored to the mainchain. Developers can create sidechains tailored for specific use cases — such as supply chain tracking, identity management, or private enterprise ledgers — without compromising the performance of the main network.
Additionally, because Horizen uses zk-SNARKs, all shielded transactions offer strong anonymity guarantees. Unlike transparent blockchains like Bitcoin or Ethereum, where every transaction is publicly traceable, ZEN users can choose complete financial privacy when needed.
What Is ZEN Used For?
ZEN is the lifeblood of the Horizen ecosystem, serving several key roles:
1. Private Transactions
Users can send ZEN using either transparent (T-Address) or shielded (Z-Address) transactions. The latter leverages zero-knowledge cryptography to ensure full anonymity — ideal for individuals and organizations prioritizing financial privacy.
2. Node Incentives
Running a full node on the Horizen network earns regular ZEN rewards. These nodes help relay transactions, maintain network integrity, and support sidechain operations.
3. Developer Infrastructure
Developers use ZEN to deploy and interact with sidechains and dApps. The ability to create independent blockchains with custom logic opens up possibilities for enterprise adoption and niche applications.
4. Mining Rewards
As a PoW-based coin, ZEN can be mined using Equihash-compatible hardware and software. This keeps the network decentralized and accessible to individual contributors.
5. Treasury Funding
A portion of each block reward goes into a community-controlled treasury, financing research, marketing, partnerships, and platform upgrades.
6. Faucet Program
Horizen offers a daily ZEN faucet, allowing new users to obtain small amounts of the token for free — lowering the barrier to entry and encouraging experimentation within the ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is ZEN a good investment in 2025?
A: While past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, ZEN’s focus on privacy, scalability via sidechains, and real-world developer utility gives it strong fundamentals. Its limited max supply of 21 million also suggests potential scarcity over time.
Q: Can I mine ZEN?
A: Yes. ZEN uses the Equihash proof-of-work algorithm, making it mineable with ASICs or GPUs that support Equihash mining software.
Q: How does Horizen differ from Zcash?
A: While both use zk-SNARKs for privacy, Horizen goes further by offering a full sidechain platform (Zendoo), hybrid consensus, and enterprise-focused tools — positioning it as a broader blockchain infrastructure solution.
Q: Are ZEN transactions truly private?
A: When using Z-Addresses (shielded addresses), yes — sender, recipient, and transaction amount are all hidden using zero-knowledge proofs.
Q: Where can I buy ZEN?
A: ZEN is listed on several major cryptocurrency exchanges. Always verify exchange credibility and security before trading.
Q: Does Horizen have smart contracts?
A: While not natively supporting smart contracts like Ethereum, developers can build sophisticated dApps and logic on Horizen’s sidechains, offering comparable functionality with greater scalability.
Core Keywords
- Horizen price
- ZEN cryptocurrency
- Zendoo sidechain
- zk-SNARKs privacy
- Horizen mining
- ZEN wallet
- Blockchain scalability
- Decentralized applications (dApps)
With its unique blend of privacy technology, scalable architecture, and developer empowerment, Horizen continues to carve out a distinct niche in the evolving blockchain landscape. Whether you're a miner, developer, or investor, ZEN offers tangible utility grounded in long-term vision and technical rigor.