LayerZero and a16z launch Akita for quantum-safe zero-knowledge proofs
LayerZero (ZRO)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
CoinGape reports that LayerZero and a16z crypto have partnered to launch Akita, a new cryptographic tool designed to protect zero-knowledge infrastructure from future quantum attacks. The interoperability company built Akita using lattice-based mathematics to make ZK systems more resistant to quantum threats without sacrificing performance. Akita serves as a polynomial commitment scheme that helps create and secure the small proofs indicating a calculation was performed correctly.
This deployment is already active through a16z’s adoption of Akita into its zero-knowledge virtual machine, Jolt, creating a new version called Lattice Jolt. The tool aims to reduce proof sizes to approximately 65–80 KB, which is smaller than the 200 KB or more seen in some existing post-quantum approaches. Additionally, Akita makes the proving process two to three times faster and cuts memory usage by roughly half.
This development arrives as the U.S. government increases its push into quantum computing, with estimates suggesting a 20,000-qubit computer could break Bitcoin’s cryptography in under 26 days. LayerZero positions Akita as a proactive step to ensure crypto infrastructure is ready before quantum capabilities become a immediate reality.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for ZRO, measured when this story was written up on 12 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
ZRO is trading at $0.9830 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 46.1%, indicating that buying pressure is currently fading compared to earlier periods. The 1-hour buy ratio sits at 36.0% and the 4-hour ratio is 39.6%, both lower than the daily average, suggesting short-term sellers are dominating the flow. Volume Delta is negative across all timeframes, with -$38,343 in the last hour and -$163,434 over four hours, showing that sell volume is exceeding buy volume. This negative delta means that market participants are actively liquidating positions rather than accumulating them. The 24-hour Cumulative Volume Delta closed at -$444,149, confirming that net selling pressure has been consistent throughout the day. Spot volume reached $6,225,167 with 54,780 trades, but the price action reflects a lack of strong buyer conviction.
The latest daily buy ratio of 49.7% sits at the 64th percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 48.5% - ordinary for this coin.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for ZRO, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, the 7-day average buy ratio was 50.2%, making today’s 24-hour reading of 46.1% a decline of 4.1 percentage points. This indicates that the current day is less bullish than the weekly norm, with buying interest weakening relative to the average. Volume has increased to 1.19 times the weekly average, showing higher activity despite the reduced buy ratio. Net buying occurred on only 3 of the past 7 days, and the price has dropped 5.2% over the 8-day period. The total Volume Delta for the week was -$770,872, confirming that selling pressure has been the dominant force over the longer timeframe as well.