What is ZAMA (ZAMA)

I. Project Introduction

1. What Is Zama?

Zama Confidential Blockchain Protocol, Zama for short, is a cross-chain confidentiality layer built on top of existing blockchains. It aims to deliver end-to-end privacy-focused computation and confidential execution for existing public blockchains and decentralized applications without requiring users or assets to migrate to a new chain. Zama enables users to directly access and interact with confidential dApps from any supported blockchain entry point. While preserving blockchain verifiability and composability, it introduces a programmable privacy protection mechanism.

2. How Does Zama Operate?

Zama leverages Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) to introduce encrypted computation to blockchains. Its core features include: 1) End-to-end encryption: Transaction inputs, on-chain state, and computation processes remain encrypted throughout their entire lifecycle. Even node operators cannot access plaintext data. 2) Programmable confidentiality: Confidential contracts can freely compose with one another, as well as with non-confidential contracts. Developers can extend privacy functionality directly on top of existing smart contracts, tokens, and dApps. 3) Programmable confidentiality with compliance controls: Smart contracts can define data decryption permissions at the code level, enabling fine-grained control over privacy access rules and supporting compliance logic directly within contracts.

3. Who Created Zama?

The Zama protocol is developed by Zama, an open-source cryptography company focused on building state-of-the-art fully homomorphic encryption solutions for blockchain and artificial intelligence. Zama operates globally as a crypto company. The company was co-founded in 2020 by Dr. Rand Hindi (Chief Executive Officer) and Dr. Pascal Paillier (Chief Technology Officer). Other prominent members of the leadership and research team include Professor Nigel Smart (Chief Academic Officer) and Dr. Marc Joye (Chief Scientist). Of Zama's 90 current employees, approximately half hold PhD degrees, making it the largest research team globally dedicated to fully homomorphic encryption.

Rand Hindi (Co-founder & CEO) holds a PhD in Computer Science and Bioinformatics. A serial entrepreneur, he previously founded the privacy-focused voice platform Snips, which was acquired by Sonos.

Pascal Paillier (Co-founder & CTO) is a renowned cryptographer who proposed and invented the Paillier cryptosystem in 1999 (one of the early representative FHE schemes), which is still extensively used. His work has had a profound impact on FHE, smart card technologies, and cryptographic standards.

4. Zama Tokenomics

The token is named $ZAMA and is deployed on the Ethereum network, with an initial total supply of 1,000,000,000 tokens. As the native token of the Zama protocol, $ZAMA is used to pay protocol fees and for staking purposes. The token follows a burn-and-mint model: 100% of protocol fees are burned, and new tokens are minted to reward operators.

5. Timeline & Key Milestones

2020: Zama completed its seed funding round and began protocol development.

March 7, 2024: Zama completed a $73 million Series A financing round.

June 25, 2025: Zama completed a $57 million Series B funding round at a valuation of $1 billion.

July 1, 2025: Zama was launched on testnet.

December 31, 2025: Zama mainnet was launched.

January 21, 2026 - January 27, 2026: Zama conducted a public token sale through a Dutch auction.

February 2, 2026: Zama held its Token Generation Event (TGE).​

II. Token Information

III. Related Links