Key Takeaways:
- Zano’s Hard Fork 6, targeted for Q2 2026, introduces Gateway Addresses enabling trustless bridging of native ZANO to EVM, TON, and Solana networks.
- The Bridgeless protocol uses Threshold Signatures, so no single validator controls a transfer, cutting centralized custodian risk entirely.
- wZANO on Base opens a Coinbase fiat on-ramp, giving new users a direct path to Zano’s full privacy stack without niche exchange accounts.
Zano Targets Q2 2026 Hard Fork to Push ZANO Cross-Chain
The project currently operates a wrapped version of Zano on Ethereum called wZANO, an ERC-20 token managed by the Zano core team. That bridge runs on centralized server infrastructure, creating a single point of failure and requiring users to trust a custodian with their funds. Hard Fork 6 eliminates that arrangement.
The key change is a new address type called Gateway Addresses. These use an account-based model instead of the standard UTXO model and are built for programmatic interaction at scale. When a user bridges ZANO through Bridgeless, their native tokens lock inside a Gateway Address on the Zano side.
The protocol holds the funds, not a person. On the destination chain, an equivalent amount of wZANO is minted and sent to the user’s wallet. Bridging back burns the wZANO and unlocks the native ZANO.
Every wZANO in circulation will be backed 1:1 by native ZANO and secured through Threshold Signatures, meaning no single party ever holds the complete private key needed to authorize a transfer.
“For the first time, native ZANO, and Confidential Assets supported by Bridgeless, like Freedom Dollar, will be bridgeable to EVM networks, TON, and Solana through a non-custodial, trustless mechanism that replaces an old compromise with something built the right way,” the Zano team stated on Tuesday.
Bridgeless runs on a decentralized network of validator nodes using Delegated Proof of Stake. A cryptographic threshold of validators must cooperate to sign any cross-chain operation. Smart contracts handle deposits and withdrawals on the EVM, TON, and Solana side without a central server or single controlling team.
The platform is currently in an alpha, proof-of-concept phase, and its native token, BRIDGE, has not yet been listed. One tradeoff users should understand: Gateway Addresses are transparent by design.
Amounts moving through them are visible onchain. However, sender identity stays protected through Zano’s stealth addresses and ring signatures, which hide user addresses and prevent outside observers from tracing which output was spent.
Privacy does not carry over once a user bridges to a public chain. A wZANO balance on Ethereum, Solana, or TON is publicly visible like any other token on those networks. Bridging back to native ZANO restores all privacy protections. The infrastructure also changes how ZANO can access major exchanges.
Native ZANO has been rejected by several tier-1 trading platforms due to its default transaction privacy. As a transparent asset, wZANO does not carry the same compliance friction, making it more viable for listings on well-known centralized platforms.
“This isn’t just a technical upgrade: it’s the infrastructure that could bring ZANO to tier-1 exchanges and DeFi liquidity pools for the first time,” the team noted.
Launching wZANO on Base is part of Zano’s rollout plan. Any token in the Base ecosystem is purchasable with fiat through the Coinbase app, giving new users a direct entry point. A user can buy wZANO with a bank card, withdraw to a wallet and bridge to native ZANO in a few steps.
As a standard ERC-20 token, wZANO can participate in lending protocols, yield strategies, and liquidity provision. A wZANO liquidity pool on Uniswap could replace the existing custodial setup with a non-custodial equivalent. Bridging will be accessible through the Confidential Layer website and app.
The testnet for Gateway Addresses is already running ahead of the Q2 2026 Hard Fork 6 target.
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