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Introduction to $ZKC

What is $ZKC?

ZK Coin (ZKC) is the native token of the Boundless protocol. Each proof on the Boundless marketplace is secured by $ZKC; provers must lock $ZKC as collateral to prove an order, and requestors pay for proofs using the native token of the underlying blockchain (for example, ETH on Ethereum or SOL on Solana). As more protocols use Boundless, the amount of $ZKC locked as collateral increases. Through careful design and an emphasis on decentralization, Boundless aims to become the native ZK infrastructure for every ecosystem.

For a complete overview of the token, see the Github README.

$ZKC as Proving Collateral

Before accepting a proof request, provers must lock ZKC as collateral in the market, typically at least ~10x the request’s maximum fee. If the proof is not submitted on time, the prover is slashed; 50% of the collateral is burned permanently, and the remaining 50% is reassigned onchain as a bounty for another prover to complete the work. This collateral system provides a stronger economic guarantee of proof delivery. At the same time, as the request volume grows, the total amount of $ZKC locked increases by a multiple of approximately 10x, reducing the total circulating supply.

$ZKC for Protocol Staking

Staking $ZKC is the first step to participating in Boundless. By staking, participants can:

In practice, staking creates both commitment and capacity. It ensures provers have skin in the game, incentivizes nodes to stay online, and gives token holders a say in governance and guiding the protocol, whether they are actively proving or not. Because of the importance of these roles in the network, all protocol stakers earn a baseline share of 25% of the epoch reward.

$ZKC for Proof-of-Verifiable-Work Rewards

Prover nodes are the backbone of the Boundless protocol. They earn up to 75% of each epoch’s emissions through Proof of Verifiable Work. This aligns token issuance directly with useful work and incentivizes faster and more efficient proving.

$ZKC for Governance

$ZKC token holders can participate in protocol governance by staking their tokens. This includes control over marketplace mechanics, the $ZKC token, zkVM additions, grants and other upgrades. For more information, please see Governance. As governance goes live, token holders will have power to veto, and eventually the power to propose upgrades to Boundless’ tokenomics and architecture.