- ### What is Zano?
+ ### What is Zano, and how is it different from other cryptocurrencies?

+ **Key characteristics:**
+
+ - **Privacy protocol**, all transactions are private by default, enforced at the protocol level.
+ - **Hybrid consensus algorithm**, makes the cost of a double-spend attack extremely high.
+ - **Platform for dApps**, infrastructure for building decentralized applications.
+ - **Confidential Assets**, create and manage private tokens on the Zano blockchain.
+
+ **Two main use cases:**
+
+ 1. Peer-to-peer private transactions.
+ 2. An ecosystem with infrastructure for dApps and assets to build on.

+ Zano is not an EVM chain since it lacks smart contracts; we prioritize default privacy instead.
+ Smart contracts, which require publicly verifiable code and execution, conflict with privacy,
+ implementing private smart contracts demands complex solutions, introducing potential risks.
+
+ This doesn't mean Zano lacks "smart" functionality, many of the use cases typically associated
+ with smart contracts can actually be achieved without them. For example, Zano supports the
+ creation and management of tokens (Confidential Assets) and enables private trading through a
+ built-in decentralized exchange (DEX).
+
+ Zano is more limited in terms of how programmable assets are, but the flip side is that it
+ protects your privacy. Consider it a trade-off.

+ Zano and Monero share common roots in the CryptoNote protocol, and use similar core privacy
+ primitives. But **Zano is not a fork of Monero**. Our co-founder, Andrey Sabelnikov, was the
+ lead developer who built the original CryptoNote codebase alongside its creator, Nicholas van
+ Saberhagen. That codebase became the foundation for over 300 projects, Monero among them.
+
+ The biggest difference is in scope. Monero focuses on being private peer-to-peer digital cash.
+ Zano is building a platform with a wider set of tools, including user-creatable privacy tokens,
+ on-chain identity, and decentralized trading, all protected by the same privacy guarantees at
+ the base layer.
+
+ On the consensus side, Zano runs a hybrid PoW/PoS model instead of Monero's pure PoW. This
+ makes the network harder to attack, since a bad actor would need to control both hash power and
+ staked coins. It also gives us faster block times (1 minute vs. Monero's 2 minutes) and shorter
+ lock-up periods (10 minutes vs. 20).

- ### Where can I store my Zano?
-
- [Wallets where Zano is available](https://zano.org/downloads) (Mobile & Desktop)

+ ### How do I set up a Zano wallet?
+
+ 1. Go to the Apple/Play store or download from zano.org/downloads.
+ 2. Create a wallet by following the steps in the app.
+ 3. Store your keys in a safe place.
+
+ **Mobile wallet** is ideal for everyday transactions on the go. **Desktop wallet** runs a full
+ local node, required for staking and offers the most complete feature set. See the desktop
+ wallet guide for a detailed walkthrough.
+
+ See all compatible wallets: zano.org/wallets

- ### How can I get Zano coins?
-
- You can mine coins and stake them to increase your balance or trade coins on cryptocurrency
- exchanges, including our own DEX.
-
- [List of exchanges that currently list Zano](https://zano.org/ecosystem/exchanges)

+ ### Where can I trade Zano?
+
+ See all places where you can trade Zano: [zano.org/exchanges](https://zano.org/exchanges)
+
+ You can also mine coins and stake them to increase your balance, or trade directly on our
+ built-in DEX.

+ Yes. Zano's Confidential Assets technology enables private stablecoins to be built on the
+ network. One example is fUSD (Freedom Dollar), the first private stablecoin launched on Zano.
+ It's backed by Zano and overcollateralized, check the current ratio at
+ freedomdollar.com/how-it-works. All the Zano that is swapped into fUSD goes straight to
+ collateral reserves, and this amount is also being staked, increasing the reserve every day.

+ Zano staking is done through the desktop wallet only, since it requires running a full local
+ node, which is currently unfeasible on mobile devices.

+ The Zano Trade DEX (Decentralized Exchange) is a platform for trading Zano and Confidential
+ Assets within the Zano ecosystem, offering peer-to-peer trading without custodial risks. It
+ leverages Ionic Swaps to maintain privacy during trades.
+
+ - **Decentralized:** No central authority controls the exchange.
+ - **Privacy:** Trades are conducted with confidentiality through Ionic Swaps.
+ - **Non-custodial:** Users retain control of their funds.
+ - **Peer-to-peer:** Direct trading between users.
+
+ Learn more: Zano Trade

+ Confidential Assets are a key feature because they allow users to create their own private
+ tokens on the Zano blockchain, secured by the same privacy mechanisms as Zano itself. This
+ opens up possibilities for private dApps and tokenized assets.

- ### What are Confidential Assets?
+ ### What are Confidential Assets and how are they used on Zano?

+ **Projects built on or integrating Zano Confidential Assets include:**
+
+ - Confidential Layer, Bridge between transparent and privacy blockchains
+ - Freedom Dollar, Private USD stablecoin collateralized with ZANO
+ - Obscura, Mint private NFTs on Zano

- All Zano network users can create aliases, for example: @username. These aliases provide a
- short, easy-to-remember name rather than a long string of characters that form a blockchain
- address. To send coins to an alias, simply type it in the address field starting with @,
- wallets will automatically detect it.
+ All Zano network users can create [aliases](/docs/use/aliases), for example: @username. These
+ aliases provide a short, easy-to-remember name rather than a long string of characters that
+ form a blockchain address. To send coins to an alias, simply type it in the address field
+ starting with @, and wallets will automatically detect it.

- Aliases will be used in a dedicated messenger, a user reputation service, and an alias-based
- authentication system that can connect to the dApps running on Zano's ecosystem.
+ Zano dApps can use alias-based authentication, as [Zano Matrix](/docs/use/zano-matrix-guide),
+ a private dedicated messenger, already does. Aliases will also be integrated into a user
+ reputation service.

- ### What are Auditable Wallets?
-
- Auditable wallets allow people and organizations to create transparent wallets for situations
- where a third party would rather verify than trust. Creating auditable wallets doesn't affect
- the privacy of the Zano network in any way. We use this feature for our foundation fund.

+ ### Can I create auditable wallets on Zano for transparency when needed?
+
+ Yes, Zano supports auditable wallets, which allow people and organizations to create
+ transparent wallets for situations where a third party would rather verify than trust. You can
+ share your wallet's transaction history and balance with others without granting them spending
+ ability. Creating auditable wallets doesn't affect the privacy of the Zano network in any way.
+ We use this feature for our foundation fund.
+
+ Learn how to set one up: [Auditable Wallets](/docs/use/auditable-wallets)

- ### How does Zano achieve privacy?
+ ### How are Zano transactions kept private by default?

- - **d/v-CLSAG Ring Signatures** that hide the sender.
+ - **d/v-CLSAG Ring Signatures** make transactions between Zano network members untraceable.

- - **Stealth addresses** that hide the receiver and asset type being transacted.
+ - **Stealth Addresses** conceal sending and receiving addresses.

+ Zano achieves greater privacy through the use of Ring Signatures, Stealth Addresses, and
+ Pedersen Commitments. These features conceal transaction origins, destinations, and amounts.
+ Unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, where this information is publicly available on-chain, Zano hides
+ it by default.

+ Stealth Addresses create random one-time addresses for every transaction on behalf of the
+ recipient. The recipient can publish just one address, yet have all their incoming payments go
+ to unique addresses on the blockchain, where they cannot be linked back to either the
+ recipient's published address or any other transaction's addresses. By using stealth addresses,
+ only the sender and receiver can determine where a payment was sent.

+ A Ring Signature is a type of digital signature that can be performed by any member of a group
+ of users who each have a key. Therefore, a message signed with a ring signature is endorsed by
+ someone in a particular group of people (senders). It should be computationally infeasible to
+ determine *which* of the group members' keys was used to produce the signature, and therefore,
+ who actually is the sender.

+ Privacy in general incurs higher complexity and therefore impacts the size of transactions.
+ However, when comparing a regular Zano transaction (private by default) to a private Bitcoin
+ transaction (CoinJoin), a regular Zano transaction is vastly simpler, therefore lighter and
+ cheaper.

+ When privacy isn't built into the base layer from the start and instead depends on opt-in,
+ add-on solutions, the result is a cumbersome user experience. And in the privacy space, where
+ even a small mistake can be catastrophic, that approach almost always ends poorly.
+
+ On Zano, you don't need to be an expert to enjoy instant privacy, simply using the network is
+ enough. Everything is built so you don't have to worry, and this comes with an added benefit:
+ true *fungibility*. Every asset you receive is just as private and indistinguishable as any
+ other.

+ Fungibility is one of the basic properties of money, it means that any unit is replaceable by
+ another identical one; mutually interchangeable. Just like when you lend someone a $100 bill
+ and they return a different $100 bill, it makes no difference.
+
+ Without fungibility, money systems quickly become impractical, and the same holds true in the
+ digital realm. In first-generation public blockchains, every coin (or output) carries its full
+ transaction history, making them traceable. This leads to issues such as:
+
+ - Exchanges freezing your funds because a coin you received has a "suspicious" origin
+   (something you had no way of knowing).
+ - Merchants refusing your payment because they don't like the history attached to it.
+ - Uncertainty about the actual value of your funds, since past transactions can affect how
+   they're perceived.
+
+ But if someone accepts ZANO or its Confidential Assets, you don't have to worry about this.
+ All Zano assets are treated equally thanks to not having a public transaction history in the
+ first place, improving user experience while maximizing security.

+ Yes, the premine consisted of 3.6M ZANO; it was set aside for ongoing project expenses,
+ marketing, partnerships, and to pay a loan to fund initial development back in 2018.
+
+ As of July 2025, considering what has already been spent for development, the foundation fund
+ sits at just ~4.4% of the total ZANO supply.
+
+ You can track the amount of the foundation fund via our explorer or by importing its tracking
+ seed into your wallet:
+
+ `aZxat4HAWriVQ3enkGcVsrZRdMseAJswG3CSEwTqZS246VsFQ53w26eZstYsu1jWE74Atz9ajLxFnBsVTafnc
+ WNH5SMv4zHFaTS:1780c4d5dd7e97cc4a75ea8baa7977d12ef948b9a6dddc2a9a37e5e22ac7180e:1599495055`
+
+ Read more about why we took this decision and our future plans for Zano's funding here.

+ The project is funded through the premine described above. Unlike Bitcoin and Monero, which
+ have benefited from substantial community donations, most cryptocurrencies struggle to secure
+ funding through donations alone. Boolberry, the team's previous project, had just a 1% dev-tax
+ and no premine, it was impossible to sustain development, as donations weren't enough given the
+ extremely small community.
+
+ A premine was seen as a necessary step to ensure that Zano has the resources needed to grow,
+ innovate, and maintain a dedicated team.

+ No funds are locked; however, all foundation fund transactions are public, and as of July 2025,
+ the fund represents less than 5% of the total supply.

+ Besides the fact that the foundation fund sits below 5% of the supply, Proof of Stake
+ incentives ensure that all holders remain honest, if they were to harm the network, they would
+ be attacking their own investment.

+ No. Zano is a private-by-default blockchain and all balances remain hidden.

+ The decision to proceed with a premine was rooted in the team's previous experiences and the
+ broader crypto landscape. Unlike Bitcoin and Monero, which have benefited from substantial
+ community donations, most cryptocurrencies struggle to secure funding through this method alone.
+
+ A premine was seen as a necessary step to ensure that Zano has the resources needed to grow,
+ innovate, and maintain a dedicated team.
+
+ Read more about our future plans for Zano's funding here.

+ Beyond making the foundation fund wallet publicly accessible and publishing monthly project
+ updates, Zano is also exploring ways to further decentralize its development fund. One
+ promising approach under consideration is implementing multisig wallets, where control over
+ funds is shared across multiple keys, including community members or other trusted parties.

+ Yes. Zano supports cross-chain bridging, allowing users to move assets from other blockchains
+ into the Zano ecosystem and benefit from its privacy features. One of the bridges that has
+ integrated Zano is Confidential Layer, a protocol built on the Bridgeless L1 blockchain that
+ enables seamless, decentralized, and non-custodial bridging between various blockchains (like
+ Ethereum and Bitcoin) and privacy chains like Zano. It allows users to move assets like BTC,
+ BCH, and EVM tokens into privacy-focused environments.
+
+ This means users can upgrade their favorite crypto assets with the privacy and security of the
+ Zano blockchain, bringing massive utility to Zano's ecosystem.

+ When bridging an asset to Zano using Confidential Layer, you receive its decentralized wrapped
+ version on the Zano blockchain. This asset is trustlessly pegged 1:1 and doesn't rely on a
+ third-party custodian, it's secured by a network of validators.

+ It adds to bridged assets the same technologies used by native Zano.
+
+ Unlike mixers, which obscure your transaction flow at a certain point (and you still need to
+ watch your steps after), Confidential Layer cryptographically hides your balance, the data is
+ never visible in the first place.

+ In Zano wallets, both the official wallet and multicoin wallets like Edge, Cake Wallet, and
+ Bitcoin.com.

+ By sending the wrapped coins back to the protocol, you retrieve the locked original asset at
+ any time. No KYC required.

+ Currently set at 0.1%, plus regular transaction fees.

+ No. The entire protocol is decentralized and non-custodial, no central third party holds your
+ assets at any point.

+ Zano is built as a truly permissionless network, no member of the development team or anyone
+ else can prevent others from using its features. This ensures that every user has equal access,
+ regardless of who they are or where they come from. We firmly believe this is the core ethos of
+ cryptocurrency. If a network isn't open and resistant to control or censorship, then calling it
+ decentralized has little meaning.

+ Every user is responsible for their own actions, the network doesn't judge anyone.

+ We affirm that **privacy is a fundamental human right** (UDHR, 1948) and applies online as
+ well as offline (UN Human Rights Council, 2013). It is the foundation of freedom, dignity, and
+ self-determination in an increasingly digital world. Without privacy, individuals cannot fully
+ exercise other rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of association, or the right to
+ participate in society without coercion or surveillance.
+
+ In the realm of money and communication, privacy is not a privilege but a necessity. It
+ protects individuals from unjust discrimination, economic exclusion, and authoritarian control.
+ Just as we expect confidentiality in our personal lives, our medical records, or our votes, we
+ must demand the same for our digital interactions and financial transactions.

+ No. Zano is built precisely so you can't distinguish one transaction from another.

+ Zano is designed as a **decentralized, permissionless network**, which means it does not (and
+ cannot) make judgments about who uses it or for what purpose. Just as the internet itself does
+ not distinguish between "good" and "bad" traffic, a truly decentralized financial system must
+ remain neutral.