Regional Banks Adopt Tokenized Deposits to Compete in Digital Assets

The $ZK staking pilot program has reached **330 million tokens staked**, maintaining a **10% APR** target rate. **Key Details:** - Staking operates through a Delegate-to-Stake mechanism - Rewards require active delegation to be eligible - Program aims to strengthen governance resilience The initiative connects token staking with governance participation, where more active delegation contributes to more robust decision-making processes including proposals, upgrades, and emergency responses. Staking levels have shown steady growth, up from 320M tokens earlier in the month.

After ten years of institutional blockchain pilots and billions in investment, **no industry standard has emerged** for banking applications. **The Core Problem:** - Every blockchain architecture tested has failed to meet at least one of the four critical requirements that banks need - This has prevented widespread institutional adoption despite significant resources invested **ZKsync's Position:** The Ethereum Layer 2 solution claims to be the first architecture that satisfies all four banking requirements, potentially positioning itself as the long-awaited institutional standard. This development comes as institutions increasingly embrace tokenization to improve financial infrastructure and increase the velocity of money in the digital assets economy.

**zkSync releases interview on tokenized deposits** zkSync has published a full interview focusing on tokenized deposits, marking the latest in a series of discussions about bringing traditional banking infrastructure onchain. **Key context:** - The interview follows previous conversations with zkSync founder Alex Gluchowski about Wall Street's shift toward blockchain infrastructure - Recent media appearances have centered on the practical implementation of banking services on Ethereum Layer 2 - The discussion addresses how financial institutions are moving beyond speculation toward building actual infrastructure **What this means:** Tokenized deposits represent a bridge between traditional banking and blockchain technology, allowing financial institutions to leverage Ethereum's security while maintaining regulatory compliance. [Watch the full interview](https://www.zksync.io/tokenized-deposits)

**ZKsync Lite will cease block production on May 4, 2026**, with the network's final state permanently frozen. Users are strongly advised to withdraw funds before this date using the standard process. **Withdrawal Options:** - EOA wallet holders: [lite.zksync.io](https://lite.zksync.io/) - Other wallets: [withdraw.zksync.io](https://withdraw.zksync.io/) **Important Notes:** - Funds not withdrawn by May 4 are **not lost** - Claiming tools will be released post-shutdown - Read-only API remains online for at least one year - Funds stay protected under governance This planned deprecation affects only ZKsync Lite (the original proof-of-concept payments rollup) and **does not impact ZKsync Era or other ZKsync Chains**.

**Cari has selected ZKsync's Prividium technology to power the first tokenized deposits network in America.** The network brings together five U.S. regional banks representing over $600 billion in deposits. This marks a significant step in bringing traditional banking infrastructure onchain. **Key developments:** - Banks can now issue, transfer, and settle tokenized deposits without building complex internal systems - The solution integrates with existing banking operations through a partnership with BitGo - Prividium provides private, enterprise-controlled chains for regulated institutions - ZKsync Connect enables interoperability between institutional networks The infrastructure allows banks to compete in the digital assets economy while maintaining regulatory compliance. Small and mid-sized banks can now access tokenized deposit capabilities through a turnkey solution. Read more: [Cari Selects ZKsync's Prividium](https://www.zksync.io/blog/cari-selects-zksyncs-prividium)