zkSync Shifts Focus from Foundation Building to Real-World Applications in 2026

**Cari Network has selected ZKsync's Prividium to power its tokenized deposit network**, bringing together five major U.S. regional banks with a combined $600B in deposits. The participating institutions include: - Huntington Bank - First Horizon - M&T Bank - KeyBank - Old National **What are tokenized deposits?** Unlike stablecoins, tokenized deposits are direct bank liabilities integrated with core banking systems and eligible for FDIC insurance. They enable 24/7 digital money within existing regulatory frameworks. **Why Prividium?** ZKsync's Prividium is an L2 designed specifically for financial institutions, offering: - Privacy with public proofs - Built-in compliance - Enterprise control - Direct connectivity to Ethereum The platform enables banks to operate private, compliant blockchain infrastructure while anchoring settlement security to Ethereum. **Use cases enabled:** - Real-time cross-border payments (~1s settlement) - Corporate treasury automation - Intraday repo and secured financing - Programmable liquidity flows Gene Ludwig, CEO of Cari Network and former 27th Comptroller of the Currency, emphasized: *"For banks to be relevant, it's absolutely essential that they are leaders, and not participants, in this digital transformation."* [Read the full announcement](https://www.zksync.io/blog/five-us-banks-are-moving-to-zksync)

**GRVT has introduced Unified Margin on zkSync**, transforming how capital is managed in DeFi. The system eliminates idle capital by making funds **continuously productive and dynamically deployed** rather than statically allocated. This represents a shift from traditional capital management where funds are locked in single positions. **Key features:** - Single balance across all positions - Automatic capital optimization - Continuous yield generation - Instant trading capabilities Built on zkSync's Layer 2 infrastructure, the solution aims to maximize capital efficiency without requiring manual reallocation between different protocols or positions.

The ZK Staking Pilot Program has increased its target annual percentage rate from 9% to 10% APR. **Key Details:** - Current staking participation: 285M $ZK tokens delegated and staked - This marks the latest rate adjustment in the pilot program - Previous rate was increased from 4% to 5% APR in February The rate increase reflects ongoing adjustments to the staking program as it continues to attract participation from the ZK community.

ZKsync has introduced **Airbender**, an open source RISC-V prover designed for speed and efficiency. **Key features:** - Generates block proofs in seconds - Costs a fraction of a cent per proof - Runs efficiently on commodity hardware - Built specifically for scaling zkRollup operations The prover aims to make zero-knowledge proof generation more accessible and cost-effective for Layer 2 scaling solutions. [Learn more about Airbender](https://www.zksync.io/airbender)