ZKsync has introduced Atlas, a significant enhancement to its ZK Stack framework, designed to help enterprises and institutional players develop scalable and secure blockchain networks customized to their operational needs. The upgrade represents a pivotal advancement in the platform’s evolution as it moves beyond decentralized finance (DeFi) applications toward broader enterprise integration.
According to the company, Atlas delivers improvements in network performance, interoperability, and proof efficiency, creating an infrastructure capable of supporting large-scale institutional blockchain deployments. The upgrade aligns with a growing industry shift toward enterprise-grade blockchain adoption, where organizations require high throughput, data privacy, and regulatory compliance within decentralized systems.
High-performance framework for institutional-grade scalability
The Atlas upgrade integrates a new “Airbender” proof system, engineered to provide near-instant transaction confirmations and faster cross-chain settlements. The company’s technical team explained that this system strengthens both transaction reliability and interoperability across multiple blockchain environments. Additionally, a high-performance sequencer incorporated within the upgrade reportedly handles up to 30,000 transactions per second, positioning ZKsync as one of the most efficient Layer-2 solutions in the Ethereum ecosystem.
Alex Gluchowski, CEO and co-founder of Matter Labs, the development team behind ZKsync, noted that the new framework represents a foundation for a next-generation financial infrastructure. He suggested that enterprises could operate on-chain with a level of sovereignty and flexibility comparable to internal systems, while benefiting from the immutable guarantees of cryptographic security.
The Atlas framework introduces customizable chain deployments, giving organizations the flexibility to launch private or semi-public blockchains that remain interoperable with Ethereum and other networks built on the ZK Stack. This capability allows enterprises to maintain control over network governance and data while retaining access to the broader Web3 ecosystem. Matter Labs described this milestone as a step toward bridging traditional enterprise systems with decentralized architectures, underscoring its ambition to make zero-knowledge (ZK) technology a cornerstone of institutional blockchain infrastructure.
Read the full blog post about Atlas and start building on ZK Stack:https://t.co/fcokiOBgDL
— ZKsync (@zksync) October 7, 2025
Strategic partnerships and ecosystem expansion
The Atlas release follows several strategic initiatives that highlight ZKsync’s expanding role in blockchain development. In September 2025, the company co-led a $19 million Series A funding round for Grvt, a decentralized exchange built on ZK technology to enhance transaction privacy and scalability. The round, joined by Further Ventures, EigenCloud, and 500 Global, valued Grvt at $150 million. The exchange plans to leverage ZKsync’s Validium chain to facilitate faster, low-cost, and private on-chain trading, particularly targeting growth across Asia and the Middle East.
Earlier in April 2025, ZKsync experienced a $5 million security breach when a compromised admin account exploited its airdrop contract, minting 111 million ZK tokens. While user funds and the main network remained unaffected, the incident reignited debate surrounding administrative privileges and smart contract governance in decentralized networks.
In response, ZKsync began working closely with SEAL 911 and multiple crypto exchanges to trace the attacker and enhance its security infrastructure. The company stated that the measures implemented post-incident have been incorporated into the Atlas upgrade, which places additional emphasis on enterprise security and operational resilience.
With the launch of Atlas, ZKsync aims to redefine how large organizations interact with blockchain technology—offering a framework that combines regulatory compliance, privacy, and scalability with the decentralized advantages of Ethereum. The development underscores a broader shift in the blockchain landscape, where zero-knowledge proofs are emerging as a critical component for enabling secure, enterprise-ready Web3 ecosystems.