Ethereum users gain another private payment option as zk.money returns after three years

Aztec Labs relaunches zk.money with $2,500 caps and a $50,000 daily deposit allowance

Aztec Labs has brought zk.money back as a wallet people can use on its own network. The relaunch centers on a limited privacy promise: payments can be hidden once money is inside, while the path from Ethereum into the system remains visible. Each deposit, payment and withdrawal must stay below $2,500, and all users share a $50,000 daily deposit allowance that replenishes over time.

For readers, the product is best understood as a shielded payment layer with public entry points. Aztec's documentation says a deposit from Ethereum reveals the sender and amount, even though the recipient on Aztec can remain private. The wallet therefore hides some activity after funds arrive, but it does not make the deposit itself invisible.

A partial shield, not a full exit from public records

Joe Andrews, CEO of Aztec Labs, framed the issue in a statement. “Onchain transactions between two individuals shouldn't mean publishing your financial history to the world,” Andrews said. As noted in CoinDesk coverage credited to Shaurya Malwa, Aztec's zk.money hides payments once money is inside, but that protection starts after funds move into the system.

Ethereum already has apps that hide payments, though transfers from an ordinary wallet remain public. Aztec's relaunch therefore does not remove the broader problem of visible blockchain activity. It offers a separate network where users can conduct private payments after depositing, while leaving the deposit as a public trace on Ethereum.

The result is a privacy model that works in stages. Once funds are inside Aztec, payments can be hidden. Before that point, Ethereum still shows the deposit. Users need to treat the wallet as a protected area with a public doorway.

DAI is the starting asset for the wallet

Andrews said Aztec Labs chose DAI because it considers it “the most decentralized of the mass-market stablecoins used today on Ethereum.” He added that the wallet could support other assets later.

That choice gives the relaunch a single clear entry point. For users, the early experience is tied to DAI on Ethereum, rather than a broad set of supported assets. The statement also leaves room for expansion, but no other asset is named in Aztec's launch description.

Small caps define the early-stage rules

The limits are not side notes; they shape how the wallet can be used. Each deposit, payment and withdrawal must be below $2,500. All users share a $50,000 daily deposit allowance, which replenishes over time. Aztec's documentation describes those caps as a safeguard while the system is new and says raising them would require a new contract.

Those rules make the tool look like a constrained privacy wallet for early use. The shared daily allowance means the limit is not only a per-user boundary; it is a network-wide pool that can affect how quickly multiple users can move funds into the system. The need for a new contract to raise the caps also means the limits cannot be adjusted through ordinary operational settings.

Ethereum's 2027 upgrade may shape what comes next

The relaunch arrives while Ethereum's developers are weighing changes for the planned 2027 Hegotá upgrade. Those proposals could let privacy apps handle transaction approvals and fees with less help from outside services. The proposals are still under consideration.

For now, Aztec is bringing back a wallet people can use on its own network, with privacy beginning after funds arrive and with hard limits on each transaction and daily deposits. The next question for readers is whether future Ethereum changes can make privacy apps easier to use without exposing more details when money enters and leaves.