CEO of Matter Labs, Alex Glukhovski, has presented an updated strategy for the ZKsync ecosystem. The company will abandon the idea of creating an alternative crypto economy in favor of integration into the global market.

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— ALEX | ZKsync ∎ (@gluk64) January 12, 2026

The foundation for this will be the concept of an "uncorruptible financial infrastructure."

According to Glukhovski, after eight years of industry development, it has become clear that mass adoption is impossible without integration into the real financial sector. Traditional markets operate within strict regulatory frameworks that the crypto industry has long ignored.

During discussions with banks, governments, and large enterprises, the Matter Labs team identified four critical requirements from institutions for blockchain:

  1. Privacy. Financial data cannot be public. Banks are not willing to disclose balances or counterparties online, as this violates commercial confidentiality and legislation.
  2. Control. Institutions need guarantees of performance and management. In shared networks, the activities of external users must not interfere with critical operations, such as processing margin calls.
  3. Risk Management. Regulators require banks to confirm the legitimacy of each transaction, specifying its initiator and reasons. Meeting this requirement necessitates deterministic access control and selective data disclosure.
  4. Compatibility. Closed databases are ineffective without access to global liquidity and external markets.

Glukhovski emphasized that earlier generations of blockchain protocols could not meet these demands without compromises. The solution lies in zero-knowledge proof technology, which allows for privacy while enabling audits, maintaining a connection to public blockchains.

2025 Results and 2026 Plans

Last year, Matter Labs focused on building the technical foundation. Components such as Atlas, Prividium, and Airbender were launched and functioned as a unified system.

For 2026, developers have outlined three key areas of focus:

  • Prividium (privacy solutions). This tool will evolve into a complete stack for banks. The focus will shift from proving technical capabilities to seamless integration into corporate processes: access management, reporting, and auditing;
  • ZK Stack (scaling). The platform will allow multiple appchains to be combined into a single ecosystem. Applications will gain access to shared liquidity and services without using external bridges;
  • Airbender (zkEVM). The company plans to make its virtual machine based on RISC-V a universal standard for the industry, focusing on auditing, formal verification, and enhancing the developer experience.

Glukhovski noted that the adoption of cryptocurrencies by enterprises has been hindered not only by regulatory uncertainty but also by the lack of a suitable foundation. With the launch of the "uncorruptible financial infrastructure," this barrier has been removed.

In 2026, Matter Labs expects to launch several major systems in the areas of payments, capital markets, and trade finance. The project aims to serve tens of millions of end users through partnerships with regulated institutions.

Recall that in November, Glukhovski identified privacy as a key driver for institutions.