ZetaChain council votes to migrate ZETA token to Solana network

ZetaChain’s governing council voted on Thursday to shut down its Layer 1 blockchain and migrate the ZETA token to the Solana network, marking a decisive shift in the project’s roadmap.

The decision follows months of stalled development and dwindling user activity on ZetaChain’s native chain. Launched in 2022, ZetaChain promised seamless cross‑chain transactions without bridges, but it struggled to attract developers and liquidity amid a crowded DeFi landscape. Rising gas costs on Ethereum, a bearish crypto market, and the emergence of competing interoperability solutions have left the platform under‑capitalised and its token price depressed. Stakeholders concluded that continuing the Layer 1 would drain resources without delivering a viable product.

In the same vote, the council announced that the team will redirect its engineering effort toward Anuma, a private AI application built on ZetaChain’s protocol. The migration of ZETA to Solana will require a second, separate vote from token holders to approve the technical steps and the token swap mechanism. Community members expressed mixed feelings; some praised the pragmatic move toward a more established ecosystem, while others warned that abandoning the original vision could erode trust. Analysts note that Solana’s lower fees and faster finality could give ZETA a better chance of regaining market relevance, especially if Anuma gains traction in the growing AI‑driven services sector.

The next vote is scheduled for the end of the month, after a public audit of the migration plan is released. If approved, the token swap could be executed within weeks, and ZETA holders would receive equivalent balances on Solana. The shift could boost Solana’s token diversity and signal confidence in its scalability, while ZetaChain hopes Anuma will attract a new user base and restore investor interest. The outcome will test whether a strategic pivot can revive a project that has struggled to find its niche in the fast‑moving crypto arena.