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What is Boundless (ZKC)? The Universal ZK Infrastructure


The crypto space has a new name making waves: Boundless (ZKC). Built by the RISC Zero team, it’s a proving layer that lets blockchains borrow the power of zero-knowledge proofs without the heavy lifting. Think of it as a shared engine that helps different networks run faster, cheaper, and with more security. After its big debut on Binance, ZKC is quickly turning heads and could play a key role in how blockchain scales in the years ahead.

What is Boundless?

Boundless ZKC is one of the newest players shaking up blockchain infrastructure. It comes from the minds at RISC Zero, the folks who built the world’s first zkVM on RISC-V. At its heart, Boundless is meant to be a kind of universal plug-in layer. Instead of every blockchain or rollup trying to build its own complicated system, they can tap into Boundless and use zero-knowledge proofs out of the box. The idea is simple but powerful: make blockchains run faster, cut costs, and boost security, without forcing developers to start from scratch.

For more: Boundless (ZKC) Will be Listed on Binance HODLer Airdrops!

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The Problem Boundless Wants to Solve

Think of today’s blockchains like a city with only one main road. Every car, bus, and truck, every transaction, has to squeeze onto that street. Traffic slows, fuel burns, and when activity spikes, the tolls (gas fees) shoot up. Scaling solutions often split people into separate neighborhoods, breaking the sense of a shared ecosystem.

Boundless takes a different path. It shifts the heavy calculations off-chain, hands the work to specialized “provers,” and then brings back a short proof that everything was done correctly. The blockchain doesn’t bother redoing all the math—it just glances at the proof, the way you’d check a receipt at the store. Quick, simple, and enough to keep the whole system lean, fast, and safe.

Key Features of the Boundless Protocol

What makes Boundless stand out?

  • First, it’s universal—a proving layer that works with many blockchains, not just one.
  • Second, it runs on a system called Proof of Verifiable Work (PoVW), which rewards provers only when they deliver useful work, unlike the energy-draining Proof of Work model.
  • Third, Boundless runs with independent prover nodes who stake ZKC tokens as collateral, making the system both decentralized and accountable.
  • Finally, it’s interoperable, meaning it can connect seamlessly with big ecosystems like Ethereum, BNB Chain, and future rollups that need a plug-and-play ZK engine.

How Does Boundless Work?

Picture blockchain like a courtroom. Instead of making every juror grind through the same long puzzle, one expert is sent outside to solve it. They come back with a short, stamped certificate that says, “Yep, it’s correct.” That’s the Boundless trick.

The heavy math gets pushed off-chain to special prover nodes. They do the hard lifting with zkVM, create the proof, and drop it back on-chain. Anyone can check it in a blink, no need to redo the work. To keep things fair, provers have to put some ZKC on the line. Cheat, and you lose your stake.

How Does Boundless Work?

Source: Boundless

Now comes the secret sauce: Proof of Verifiable Work (PoVW). In old-school mining, machines spit out endless hashes that don’t actually help anyone. Here, provers earn ZKC only by creating proofs that matter—proofs other blockchains and apps can use. The more work they take on, the more ZKC they have to stake. And because rewards are up for grabs, provers race to be faster, sharper, and better.

It’s a loop that feeds itself: If there are more proofs, there will be more ZKC staked. We should see more competition between validators, which leads to a better performance for the network effect. And unlike wasted electricity in Proof of Work, every bit of effort here fuels something real. Proofs that speed up Ethereum, secure Bitcoin, connect Solana, or power the next wave of apps. Boundless turns raw computing power into building blocks that the whole crypto world can use.

ZKC Tokenomics

ZKC Token

Boundless started out with a genesis supply of 1 billion ZKC tokens. But unlike coins with a hard cap, ZKC doesn’t have a fixed maximum supply. Instead, the network follows an inflation model. 

  • Year 1: 7% inflation
  • Gradual decline
  • Year 8 onward: stabilized at 3% per year

At Binance listing in September 2025, about 200.9 million tokens were in circulation—around 20% of the genesis supply.

ZKC Token

ZKC inflation rate

ZKC Token Allocation

The ZKC token allocation is as follows:

  • Ecosystem Fund: 31%
  • Core Team & Early Contributors: 23.5%
  • Investors: 21.5%
  • Strategic Growth Fund: 18%
  • Other: 6%
  • Public Sale: 1.38% (~13.79M ZKC)
ZKC Token Allocation

ZKC Coin Allocation

ZKC Token Unlock Schedule

The unlock schedule of the ZKC token is as follows:

  • Ecosystem Fund (31%): 25% unlocks after a 1-year cliff. Remaining 75% vest monthly over 24 months (completed by end of Year 3)
  • Strategic Growth Fund (18%): Unlocks gradually over 12 months. Tied to milestones such as enterprise partnerships & new proving clusters
  • Core Team & Early Contributors (23.5%): 25% unlocks after 1-year cliff, remaining 75% vest monthly over 24 months (completed by end of Year 3)
  • Community Token Sale (~1.38%): 50% unlock at TGE, 50% unlock after 6 months
  • Community Airdrop (~4.6%): 100% unlock at TGE
  • Investors (21.5%): 25% unlocks after 1-year cliff, remaining 75% vest monthly over 24 months (completed by end of Year 3)
ZKC Token Unlock Schedule

ZKC Token Unlock Schedule

ZKC Token Sale

Capital Launchpad IDO

  • Date: August 25 – September 1, 2025
  • Platform: Capital Launchpad
  • Price: $0.29 per ZKC
  • Tokens Sold: 13,793,103 (~1.38% of total supply)
  • Funds Raised: $4M
  • Vesting: 50% unlocked at TGE, 50% unlocked after 6 months

Launchpool

  • Date: September 15 – 18, 2025
  • Platform: Gate Launchpad
  • Price: Free (distributed via farming/staking)
  • Allocation: 0.01% of total supply
Launchpool

ZKC Token Sell

Utility of ZKC Token

ZKC isn’t just a reward token; it fuels the network:

  • Provers stake it as collateral to ensure honesty
  • Rewards are distributed via PoVW for useful computation
  • Holders can join governance and benefit from emissions

Binance HODLer Airdrop

To celebrate the launch, Binance rolled out a HODLer Airdrop program. The exchange distributed 15 million ZKC tokens to users who were holding BNB during a snapshot taken in early September 2025. This gave loyal BNB holders early exposure to the project without requiring them to buy in immediately.

The rewards didn’t stop there. Right after the listing, Binance released an additional 5 million ZKC into circulation. On top of that, 15 million more tokens were set aside for marketing and community campaigns to be rolled out over the following six months.

Boundless is traded on Binance on September 15, 2025, trading against USDT, USDC, BNB, FDUSD, and TRY. Deposits opened three days earlier, on September 12. The Binance HODLer Airdrop sent 15 million ZKC into users’ wallets based on BNB holdings, showing early support from one of the world’s biggest exchanges. Today, ZKC runs on BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum, marking its first step into a multi-chain future.

  • September 12, 2025: Deposits for ZKC open on Binance
  • September 15, 2025: Official listing with pairs ZKC/USDT, ZKC/USDC, ZKC/BNB, ZKC/FDUSD, ZKC/TRY
  • September 2025: HODLer Airdrop delivers 15 million ZKC to BNB holders
  • Multi-chain support: ZKC live on both BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum at launch
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FAQs about Boundless (ZKC)

What Is Boundless (ZKC)?

Boundless is a proving layer that brings zero-knowledge technology to blockchains and rollups. It helps them scale faster, cut costs, and boost security.

What’s The Genesis Supply Of ZKC Tokens?

The genesis supply was 1 billion tokens. Circulating supply at launch on Binance was about 200.9 million.

What’s The Use Of ZKC tokens?

The ZKC coin powers the network. Provers stake it as collateral, earn rewards through PoVW (mining rewards), power governance for token holders, and share protocol staking rewards.

How Is Boundless Different From zkSync Or StarkNet?

Projects like zkSync build their own ZK rollups. Boundless, instead, offers a universal proving layer, serving many chains and apps at once.

Where Is ZKC Listed?

As of September 2025, ZKC is live on Binance with trading pairs ZKC/USDT, ZKC/USDC, ZKC/BNB, ZKC/FDUSD, ZKC/TRY.

Should I Invest In ZKC?

Although the Boundless protocol shows a strong sign of potential, but every project has its own risks. The tech is advanced, competition is strong, and token inflation is real. It’s best to do your own research and only invest what you can afford to risk.





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