Aztec Labs has relaunched zk(.)money, a self-custodial wallet designed for private crypto payments, three years after shutting down the original version as the company shifted focus toward bu
Aztec Labs has relaunched zk(.)money, a self-custodial wallet designed for private crypto payments, three years after shutting down the original version as the company shifted focus toward building its Layer 2 network.
The new version runs on Aztec Network (@aztecnetwork), the company's privacy-focused Ethereum Layer 2. Unlike a standard Ethereum wallet, zk(.)money does not publish users' balances, payment amounts, or counterparties on a public ledger. The wallet uses zk-SNARKs to hide balances, transfer amounts, and transaction parties from the public ledger.
Users can deposit DAI, USDC, or USDT from Ethereum, though USDC and USDT are converted to DAI, and deposits remain publicly traceable even as subsequent activity is private. Users can claim a simple handle such as bob.zk(.)money instead of using a long wallet address, and can send or request payments by sharing a link. The handles use Ethereum Name Service technology and can work with apps that support ENS.
The Alpha version limits deposits, payments, and withdrawals to $2,500 per transaction and $50,000 daily. A mobile app and DeFi integration are expected in Q4 2026, though partners have not yet been announced.
The original version served 75,000 wallets and processed $100 million in transactions before being discontinued in 2023. CEO Joe Andrews cited scalability challenges as the reason for the shutdown. Now that the network is live and stewarded via the non-profit Aztec Foundation, Aztec Labs says it is back shipping open-source privacy products on top of it.
The relaunch arrives just eight days after Aztec activated private smart contract execution on September 21, giving the relaunched app a fundamentally more capable foundation than its predecessor ever had.
The timing also aligns with a broader shift at the Ethereum protocol level. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published an updated protocol roadmap on 10 August 2026, setting his original 2023 diagram side by side with the current "Strawmap," a working plan that maps upgrades through 2029. He noted that quantum security and privacy, two major focus areas for Ethereum now, were not even on the old roadmap.
Aztec Labs warns the software is not fully audited and may contain bugs. Users should weigh that risk before committing significant funds to the platform in its current Alpha state.
Sources:CoinDesk: Ethereum users get another way to pay privately as zk(.)money returns after three yearsThe Block: Aztec relaunches zk(.)money privacy wallet on its Ethereum Layer 2CoinPaprika: Privacy and Quantum Defense Move to the Heart of Ethereum's Roadmap
