ZK (ZKsync) showed strong performance on January 6th, with a 24-hour increase of 21.86%, currently trading at $0.04, and market capitalization breaking through $422 million. This is not an isolated price fluctuation, but rather a superposition of multiple positive catalysts released within the same time window. Behind it lies both the certainty of technological breakthroughs and the warming of institutional attention, as well as the support of long-term demand from the Ethereum ecosystem.
Direct Drivers of Short-term Rise
Concentrated Release of Technological Breakthroughs
ZK-EVM reaching production-grade performance is the core catalyst for this round of increase. According to the latest news, ZK-EVM has entered a usable phase with verification speed reaching second-level, and transfer costs have dropped significantly compared to before. Simultaneously occurring is the official launch of PeerDAS on the Ethereum mainnet. The combination of these two technologies provides a viable solution for Ethereum to resolve the “trilemma” of decentralization, security, and efficiency.
From market reaction, such technological certainty breakthroughs often attract trading attention in the short term, especially when the circulating supply of related project tokens is relatively small. ZK’s current circulating supply is approximately 10.6 billion tokens, with a fully diluted market cap of $835.56 million, and the relatively small market cap provides room for price fluctuations.
Signals of Warming Institutional Attention
Deutsche Bank building a compliant Layer 2 network Prividium based on ZKsync, JPMorgan Chase launching a $100 million on-chain tokenization fund—these are not marketing gimmicks but actual actions from traditional financial institutions. Institutional participation is often accompanied by larger capital inflows, which will drive up prices in the short term.
Why This Is More Than Short-term Speculation
Three-Layer Support for Fundamentals
The first layer is technological certainty. ZK-EVM’s production-grade performance is not at the conceptual stage but already in a usable state. According to the latest news, Ethereum’s Gas expansion roadmap is clear: starting from 2026, with the advancement of mechanisms like BAL and ePBS, Ethereum’s Gas limit will gradually increase; from 2026-2028, Gas repricing and state structure adjustments will occur; from 2027-2030, ZK-EVM is expected to become the primary method for network block verification. This means ZKsync’s core technology not only has near-term applications but also long-term systemic demand.
The second layer is the implementation of application scenarios. Prividium is built specifically for institutions requiring privacy, compliance, and data control; the ZK Stack framework supports the construction of enterprise-grade zero-knowledge proof blockchains; ZKsync Connect enables cross-system interoperability between institutions. These are not theoretical products but solutions verified in actual use by institutions like Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase.
The third layer is ecosystem maturity. ZKsync provides a fully open-source, independently audited proof system with a bug bounty program offering rewards up to $1.1 million. This level of security investment and continuous ecosystem building lays the foundation for long-term development.
Changes in Market Recognition
In comparison, ZK ranks 107th in market capitalization, with a circulation rate of only 50.54%. This indicates that market recognition of ZK is still at a relatively early stage, and the synergistic effect of institutions and technological breakthroughs is only beginning to be priced in.
Subsequent Focus Areas
In the short term, whether ZK’s uptrend can sustain depends on the overall performance of the Ethereum ecosystem and progress in institutional applications. According to the latest news, Ethereum’s Gas expansion upgrade in 2026, further optimization of ZK-EVM, and commercialization of products like Prividium will all be important focal points.
In the medium term, if applications from institutions like Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase truly mature, it will create a stable demand foundation for ZKsync, which is far more significant than short-term price fluctuations.
Summary
ZK’s 21.86% increase may seem abrupt, but it is actually the combined effect of three forces: technological breakthroughs providing certainty, institutional applications validating feasibility, and Ethereum’s roadmap clarifying long-term demand. This combination is uncommon in the crypto market and explains why this rise attracted market attention.
Of course, short-term gains do not guarantee subsequent increases, and market volatility always exists. However, from a fundamental perspective, ZKsync’s position as Ethereum’s zero-knowledge proof scaling solution is strengthening—this is a more worthy development to pay attention to than price increases. The subsequent focus will be on observing technological evolution in the Ethereum ecosystem and actual progress in institutional application implementation.
ZKの21%の上昇率から見る：なぜこれは単なる短期の投機ではなく、技術的な恩恵の解放であると言えるのか
ZK (ZKsync) showed strong performance on January 6th, with a 24-hour increase of 21.86%, currently trading at $0.04, and market capitalization breaking through $422 million. This is not an isolated price fluctuation, but rather a superposition of multiple positive catalysts released within the same time window. Behind it lies both the certainty of technological breakthroughs and the warming of institutional attention, as well as the support of long-term demand from the Ethereum ecosystem.
Direct Drivers of Short-term Rise
Concentrated Release of Technological Breakthroughs
ZK-EVM reaching production-grade performance is the core catalyst for this round of increase. According to the latest news, ZK-EVM has entered a usable phase with verification speed reaching second-level, and transfer costs have dropped significantly compared to before. Simultaneously occurring is the official launch of PeerDAS on the Ethereum mainnet. The combination of these two technologies provides a viable solution for Ethereum to resolve the “trilemma” of decentralization, security, and efficiency.
From market reaction, such technological certainty breakthroughs often attract trading attention in the short term, especially when the circulating supply of related project tokens is relatively small. ZK’s current circulating supply is approximately 10.6 billion tokens, with a fully diluted market cap of $835.56 million, and the relatively small market cap provides room for price fluctuations.
Signals of Warming Institutional Attention
Deutsche Bank building a compliant Layer 2 network Prividium based on ZKsync, JPMorgan Chase launching a $100 million on-chain tokenization fund—these are not marketing gimmicks but actual actions from traditional financial institutions. Institutional participation is often accompanied by larger capital inflows, which will drive up prices in the short term.
Why This Is More Than Short-term Speculation
Three-Layer Support for Fundamentals
The first layer is technological certainty. ZK-EVM’s production-grade performance is not at the conceptual stage but already in a usable state. According to the latest news, Ethereum’s Gas expansion roadmap is clear: starting from 2026, with the advancement of mechanisms like BAL and ePBS, Ethereum’s Gas limit will gradually increase; from 2026-2028, Gas repricing and state structure adjustments will occur; from 2027-2030, ZK-EVM is expected to become the primary method for network block verification. This means ZKsync’s core technology not only has near-term applications but also long-term systemic demand.
The second layer is the implementation of application scenarios. Prividium is built specifically for institutions requiring privacy, compliance, and data control; the ZK Stack framework supports the construction of enterprise-grade zero-knowledge proof blockchains; ZKsync Connect enables cross-system interoperability between institutions. These are not theoretical products but solutions verified in actual use by institutions like Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase.
The third layer is ecosystem maturity. ZKsync provides a fully open-source, independently audited proof system with a bug bounty program offering rewards up to $1.1 million. This level of security investment and continuous ecosystem building lays the foundation for long-term development.
Changes in Market Recognition
In comparison, ZK ranks 107th in market capitalization, with a circulation rate of only 50.54%. This indicates that market recognition of ZK is still at a relatively early stage, and the synergistic effect of institutions and technological breakthroughs is only beginning to be priced in.
Subsequent Focus Areas
In the short term, whether ZK’s uptrend can sustain depends on the overall performance of the Ethereum ecosystem and progress in institutional applications. According to the latest news, Ethereum’s Gas expansion upgrade in 2026, further optimization of ZK-EVM, and commercialization of products like Prividium will all be important focal points.
In the medium term, if applications from institutions like Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase truly mature, it will create a stable demand foundation for ZKsync, which is far more significant than short-term price fluctuations.
Summary
ZK’s 21.86% increase may seem abrupt, but it is actually the combined effect of three forces: technological breakthroughs providing certainty, institutional applications validating feasibility, and Ethereum’s roadmap clarifying long-term demand. This combination is uncommon in the crypto market and explains why this rise attracted market attention.
Of course, short-term gains do not guarantee subsequent increases, and market volatility always exists. However, from a fundamental perspective, ZKsync’s position as Ethereum’s zero-knowledge proof scaling solution is strengthening—this is a more worthy development to pay attention to than price increases. The subsequent focus will be on observing technological evolution in the Ethereum ecosystem and actual progress in institutional application implementation.