Introducing ZK Coin

What is Boundless?

Boundless is the universal protocol designed to provide every blockchain with the power of ZK. It enables independent prover nodes to generate ZK proofs on behalf of layer 1’s, applications, rollups, and infrastructure across all chains.

By offloading computation to the Boundless network and verifying proofs onchain, Boundless provides a consistent scalability and interoperability layer without requiring changes to existing networks. Capacity scales horizontally, adding nodes directly increases throughput, making Boundless the foundational layer for ZK proving throughout the blockchain ecosystem.

What is ZK Coin?

ZK Coin or “ZKC” is the native token of the Boundless protocol. Beneath the surface, each proof is secured by ZKC: provers must stake it as collateral before a single cycle is computed. As more protocols tap into Boundless, more ZKC is locked behind their proofs. In effect, ZKC functions as the backbone for all ZK Proving. On Boundless, builders pay for proofs using the native token of their own protocol; for example, in ETH on Ethereum, USDC, or SOL on Solana, such that Boundless becomes the native ZK infrastructure for every ecosystem.

Proof of Verifiable Work

PoVW, a novel invention within Boundless, is a permissionless incentive mechanism which enables provers to mine ZKC in exchange for their proving work. Provers generating unique zero knowledge proofs are rewarded by ZKC. To be eligible for these rewards, a prover must stake an amount of ZKC that scales with the size of their aggregate proving work for a given epoch.

This mechanism enables provers to stake ZKC and claim PoVW incentives from any market or network, extending ZKC’s use beyond the Boundless market. The result is a clear loop: more proofs lead to more ZKC staked, and steady pressure to improve performance as operators compete to capture a larger share of PoVW rewards.

How ZK Coin Powers the Boundless Protocol

Proving Collateral

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

Protocol Staking

Staking ZKC is the first step to participating in Boundless. Every action on the network begins here. By staking, participants can:

Earn Proof-of-Verifiable Work rewards when running provers

Take part in protocol governance and shape the future of Boundless

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 role in 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

Mining Rewards

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

Powering Governance

ZKC 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. As Boundless governance goes live, token holders will have power to veto and eventually propose upgrades to Boundless’ tokenomics and architecture. Boundless will adopt the industry's best practices by using time-based voting power which has been commonly adopted by protocols like Curve.

Initial Allocation

ZK Coin will have an initial supply of 1 billion tokens, allocated as follows:

Ecosystem Growth (49%)

A majority of all ZKC will be allocated to strategic initiatives that translate into mainstream adoption of ZK proofs. The pool combines two components:

31% Ecosystem Fund: Held by the Boundless Foundation. 25% of these tokens unlock after a 1-year cliff, with the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 24 months, completing by the end of Year 3.

Grants target three tracks:

Verifiable applications

Grants, fee subsidies, and hands-on support that help early-stage teams onboard to Boundless and ship proof-powered applications.

Protocol integration & developer tooling

Funding third-party developers who create tooling, abstractions, and educational resources, making Boundless easy to adopt.

Protocol maintenance and infrastructure development

Working with provers to reduce volatility of the proving capacity on the market and deliver a high level of service to builders.

18% Strategic Growth Fund: Dedicated to enterprise integrations, business-development efforts, and institutional-grade prover onboarding. Tokens unlock gradually over 12 months , tied to measurable milestones such as signed enterprise partnerships and new prover clusters.

Taken together, these funds will ensure Boundless supports growth on all fronts. They empower grassroots builders to ship proof-powered applications while also enabling institutional-grade integrations that bring scale and maturity to the ecosystem. By addressing both early innovation and enterprise adoption, Boundless steadily increases demand for proofs across the entire protocol.

Core Team & Early Contributors (23.5%)

20% of the total token supply is allocated to the core development team and early contributors to the protocol who took Boundless from concept to mainnet. An additional 3.5% is allocated to RISC Zero, the company that originally incubated Boundless, to fund future hires and research grants aimed at advancing zkVM performance. 25% of these tokens unlock after a 1-year cliff, with the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the following 24 months, completing by the end of Year 3.

Community Token Sale & Airdrop (~6%)

To broaden ownership of ZKC, approximately 6% is allocated to the Boundless community token sale and to an airdrop that rewards early contributors, including provers and kaito yappers. Community sale tokens unlock 50% at TGE and 50% after six months. Airdrops are 100% unlocked at TGE.

Investors (21.5%)

21.5% is allocated to strategic partners who provided capital, feedback, technical support and industry reach during the protocol’s formative stages. 25% unlocks after a 1-year cliff, with the remaining 75% vesting in monthly installments over the next two years, completing by the end of Year 3.

Token Inflation

As with any protocol, the distribution of ZK Coin evolves over time. Provers may sell rewards to cover operating costs, while stakers earn predictable emissions for helping secure the network. Algorithmically, the emission schedule expands supply gradually, starting at 7% in Year 1 and tapering to 3% from Year 8 onward.

Since ZKC must be staked as collateral for every proof request, the effective circulating supply tightens as demand for proofs grows. Combined with the burn mechanism from slashed collateral, this dynamic links ZKC distribution directly to network usage, rather than leaving it fixed or arbitrary.

Conclusion

Boundless is the universal protocol that powers every blockchain with ZK compute. At its core is ZKC: staked as collateral, earned through verifiable work, and backing every proof the network delivers. By securing proofs across all blockchains, ZK Coin serves as the backbone of ZK proving everywhere.

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