CEO of Matter Labs, Alex Gluchowski, has unveiled an updated strategy for the development of the ZKsync ecosystem. The company will abandon the idea of creating an alternative crypto economy in favour of integration into the global market.
— ALEX | ZKsync ∎ (@gluk64) January 12, 2026
The foundation for this will be the concept of ‘Incorruptible Financial Infrastructure’.
According to Gluchowski, 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 institutional requirements for blockchain:
- Privacy. Financial data cannot be public. Banks are not willing to disclose balances or counterparties online, as this violates commercial confidentiality and legislation.
- Control. Institutions need guarantees of performance and management. In public networks, the activity of third-party users should not interfere with the execution of critical operations, such as processing margin calls.
- Risk Management. Regulators require banks to confirm the legitimacy of each transaction, specifying its initiator and reasons. Meeting this condition requires deterministic access control and selective data disclosure.
- Compatibility. Closed databases are inefficient without access to global liquidity and external markets.
Gluchowski emphasized that early generations of blockchain protocols could not meet these demands without compromises. The solution was zero-knowledge proof technology. It allows for privacy and auditing while maintaining a connection with public blockchains.
2025 Results and Plans for 2026
In the past year, Matter Labs focused on creating a technical foundation. Components Atlas, Prividium, and Airbender were launched, operating as a unified system.
For 2026, developers have outlined three key areas:
- Prividium (privacy solutions). The tool will evolve into a full-fledged stack for banks. The focus will shift from proving technical capabilities to seamless integration into corporate processes: access management, reporting, and auditing.
- ZK Stack (scalability). The platform will allow the integration of multiple appchains 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 industry standard. The emphasis will be on auditing, formal verification, and improving the developer experience.
Gluchowski noted that the adoption of cryptocurrencies by enterprises was hindered not only by regulatory uncertainty but also by the lack of a suitable foundation. With the launch of the ‘incorruptible financial infrastructure,’ this barrier is removed.
In 2026, Matter Labs expects the launch of 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.
Back in November, Gluchowski called privacy a driver for institutional adoption.