Scaling Verification, Expanding Identity, and Preparing for What’s Next

The zkVerify network continues to evolve—quietly, steadily, and with a clear direction in mind: scaling proof verification, improving cross-chain usability, and laying the foundations for richer on-chain participation.

Over the past weeks, several important upgrades have either landed or are about to. Together, they mark a meaningful step forward for zkVerify’s architecture and the experience of everyone building, verifying, and participating in the network.

This post walks through what’s new, what’s already live, and what node operators and community members should prepare for next.

zkVerify Node Update 1.1.0: Introducing ParaVerifier

At the core of this update is the groundwork for ParaVerifier, zkVerify’s first dedicated parachain, designed to address scalability in proof verification.

As zkVerify grows, proof verification throughput becomes a critical factor. ParaVerifier will be introduced to prepare the network to handle this demand by offloading and scaling verification workloads in a way that keeps the network efficient, resilient, and ready for future growth.

This update will represent an important architectural milestone for the network’s next phase:

Preparing for a Mandatory Update

While zkVerify Node Update 1.1.0 is already available, it’s important to note that this update will become mandatory once the ParaVerifier parachain is officially registered—a step expected to happen soon.

For node operators, this means:

This is not just a routine update—it’s a structural upgrade that prepares zkVerify for the next phase of growth.

Volta Runtime Upgrade 1.4.0: Expanding Cross-Chain Capabilities

Alongside the node update, Volta Runtime Upgrade 1.4.0 has now been officially deployed on the Volta testnet.

One of the key improvements in this release is expanded XCM support, part of a broader effort to make cross-chain interactions significantly easier for VFY holders.

The long-term goal is simple:

While this functionality is currently being tested, a dedicated demo showcasing this experience will be shared soon.

Safer Cross-Chain Transfers: Built-In Recovery

This runtime upgrade also introduces an important safety improvement.

In the past, if users accidentally sent funds from zkVerify to VFlow using a Substrate-style address instead of an Ethereum-style one, those funds would be lost. While this was never the intended flow, it happened in practice.

With the latest update, as a safety fallback:

Important: This recovery mechanism is a safeguard, not a change in recommended behavior.

Users should continue to send funds to EVM-style addresses on VFlow, not Substrate addresses. Sending funds to Substrate accounts on VFlow is not supported and should be avoided.

This change reflects a growing focus on resilience and real-world usage—building systems that handle mistakes gracefully without compromising protocol rules.

On-Chain Identity Comes to Volta

Another significant addition in Volta Runtime Upgrade 1.4.0 is the introduction of pallet-identity, a federated on-chain identity system.

With pallet-identity:

One immediate and visible impact of this change will be the ability to replace raw addresses on the explorer with meaningful names chosen by users themselves.

At the moment:

For users interested in interacting with on-chain identities via UI, the process is documented in the official Polkadot support guide: https://support.polkadot.network/support/solutions/articles/65000181981-how-to-set-and-clear-an-identity

This foundation opens the door to richer identity, reputation, and participation models across the zkVerify ecosystem—and may play an important role in future incentivized network activities.

VFlow Volta Runtime Upgrade 1.1.0

Complementing the Volta upgrade, VFlow Volta Runtime Upgrade 1.1.0 has also been deployed.

This release aligns VFlow with the expanded XCM capabilities introduced on Volta, ensuring:

Together, these upgrades move zkVerify closer to a model where powerful cross-chain functionality exists beneath the surface—while users interact with a simpler, more intuitive system.

Looking Ahead

Taken together, these updates signal a clear direction for zkVerify. Proof verification is scaling through ParaVerifier, cross-chain interactions are becoming safer and more intuitive, and on-chain identity is beginning to take shape as a core building block of the network.

As ParaVerifier approaches official registration,this node update will become mandatory, and this is the moment for operators and ecosystem participants to get ready. What’s landing now is foundational—but what it enables next is where things get interesting.

More demos, documentation, and network-level improvements are on the way. These releases are not just incremental updates—they’re setting the stage for the next phase of zkVerify’s evolution.More is coming—stay close!