Aztec Network takes on encrypted blockchains with $100M round led by a16z

Aztec Network, a privacy layer for web3, has raised $100 million in a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the startup’s co-founders Zac Williamson and Joe Andrews exclusively told TechCrunch. “At a high level, Aztec is an encrypted version of Ethereum,” Andrews said. “Normally on Ethereum everything is public, but we are making it encrypted. That journey has taken us many years to…

Reports Say FTX Warns Customers Not to Interact With Aztec Network, CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Responds

According to reports on social media, a number of users have complained that FTX has blocked a transaction that was associated with the Aztec Network’s zkmoney privacy technology. Following the accusations, FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried explained that transactions are monitored for AML compliance but it “does not mean any accounts were frozen.” Journalist Wu Blockchain Says an FTX User’s Account Was…

Regulating Web3: Aztec CEO Maps Out Future of Privacy After Tornado Cash Sanctions

Zac Williamson, CEO of the Aztec Network Ethereum privacy layer, discussed what the future for Web3 privacy could look like in the wake of widely criticized U.S. government sanctions against crypto mixer Tornado Cash. Williamson believes that “future networks could be consistent with the goals of regulators while protecting user privacy, but will not conform to existing regulatory structures.”…

Ethereum Transfer Fees Drop From Recent Highs, L2 ETH Solutions Between 46-97% Cheaper

At the end of August, Ethereum network gas costs skyrocketed and tapped a high of $59 per transaction on September 7, according to the average transaction fee spent on that day. The median fee for an ether transaction on September 7 was around $20 per transaction. Days later, ether transaction fees have subsided to a degree as the median and average ether fees have been slashed in half since…