A New Dawn for Telos: Privacy Is Live

The Telos Privacy Layer is now publicly available. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter — not just for Telos, but for what a smart contract network can be.

Last year, we laid out a simple thesis: privacy is not optional. It is the prerequisite for real adoption. Real businesses, real users, and real economies cannot function on transparent ledgers where every transaction is broadcast to the world. The same expectation of financial privacy that exists in traditional finance must exist in crypto — or the technology will remain a niche curiosity forever.

That thesis was put forward before private chains like Zcash started seeing renewed serious attention. The market has caught up to what we already knew. And now, Telos has delivered.

Introducing zkWallet

Today we publicly release zkWallet — the reference UI for the Telos Privacy Layer — giving the general public direct access to private transactions on Telos for the first time.

Try it now: https://zkwallet.telos.net

Let’s be upfront: zkWallet is not the final form. It’s not flashy. It’s not the polished mobile experience we’re building currently. What it is, however, is a fully functional demonstration of what the Telos Privacy Layer can do today — and a signal to developers and users alike of where this is going.

What You Can Do With zkWallet Today

• Create a zkWallet using your existing Telos/EVM wallet — including Ledger — or generate a fully private wallet from scratch
• Use it instantly in your browser — no downloads required
• Bridge TLOS and USDC from any network via Li.Fi
• Send multi-transfers — batch private payments in a single transaction, ideal for payroll
• Interact with two live privacy pools: TLOS and USDC

Two assets. Two pools.

TLOS represents ownership and governance in the Telos network — a true store of value.

USDC provides stability through the most widely trusted dollar-backed asset in crypto.

A deliberate foundation for private, real-world usage.

Why Telos Privacy Is Different

There are other privacy solutions in crypto. Here’s why this one matters:

An official, foundation-backed privacy layer. This isn’t a third-party bolt-on. Telos Privacy is supported by the Telos Foundation, built in alignment with the community. Fees from private transactions fund the operation of the privacy network with margins driving token burning. Privacy is an economic engine, not a cost center.

Instant sync. Other privacy networks make you wait minutes — sometimes hours — just to see your balances. Telos Privacy syncs your transactions instantly. This is non-negotiable for usability.

Memo field support. A seemingly simple feature that is critical for real-world use. Payroll, invoicing, compliance tagging — memos make private transactions actually usable for business.

Multi-transfer capability. Send to multiple recipients in a single transaction. Payroll for an entire team, done privately, in one action.

Built on proven technology. The privacy layer leverages the zkBob architecture, battle-tested and adapted for the speed and economics of the Telos network.

Privacy as a Driver of Deflation

This matters for tokenomics.

Starting fee structure for Telos Privacy:

• TLOS Pool: 5 TLOS minimum base fee + 0.2% transaction fee
• USDC Pool: $0.20 minimum fee + 0.2% transaction fee

Private transactions are affordable and useful. They drive real economic activity. And the fees flow back into the network — running infrastructure and burning tokens. This is what a sustainable economic model looks like. No hyperinflation. No bloated foundations creating constant sell pressure. Just usage-driven value.

Where Telos Stands Now

Over the past months, Telos has undergone a quiet but significant transformation behind the scenes. Privacy is live. Tokenomics have been rebuilt from the ground up. The foundation has been restructured for the era of AI-driven efficiency.

Telos now occupies a niche that no other network offers — this full combination:

• Privacy-enabled smart contract network
• High performance
• Deflationary tokenomics
• Open source and community-driven
• No token unlock overhang
• Foundation run on AI — high sustainability, high resilience

Other networks satisfy some of these criteria. None offer all of them together.

What’s Coming Next

The Telos Mobile Privacy Wallet

We’re heads-down building the definitive mobile privacy wallet. This is where we see early adoption igniting. Taking some early inspiration from Zodl Wallet (previously Zashi) in the Zcash ecosystem, we’re building something even easier to use — seamless private payments to and from any network, with privacy preservation.

This wallet isn’t just for crypto-native users who want a private vault. It’s for people in developing nations who are afraid of governments seizing their assets. It’s for anyone who fears theft. It’s for the person who just wants to spend and receive money without the world watching.

We expect many wallets and applications to be built on the Telos Privacy Layer, serving different user groups and use cases. But we want to set the bar with something that works for everyone — from the privacy-conscious DeFi user to the unbanked individual seeking financial sovereignty.

Start Building. Start Using.

The Telos Privacy Layer is live. The tools are here. The documentation is ready.

zkWallet UI: https://zkwallet.telos.net

Privacy/ZKtelos Docs: https://docs.telos.net/privacy

This is the start. Privacy-enabled smart contracts, deflationary economics, and a foundation built for resilience. Welcome to the new Telos.

The dawn of private, permissionless finance on Telos is here. Build with us.