Zama

Why Zama chose Greater Zurich as its confidential Web3 hub

1. Tell us a bit about Zama

At Zama, we like to say we are building the "HTTPS moment" for blockchain. Right now, most blockchains are transparent by default, which is a major barrier for institutional finance and personal privacy. We use a revolutionary technology called Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) to allow data to be processed without ever being decrypted. This means you can have the security of a public ledger with the total confidentiality of a private bank. We recently hit a major milestone by becoming the first FHE unicorn, and our mission is to make privacy the default layer for the entire internet.

2. Zama Switzerland is a research and innovation hub, reinforcing the company’s global vision for scaling confidential Web3 infrastructure – how does it go so far? 

It’s been an incredible journey. Since establishing our hub in the Greater Zurich Area, we’ve been able to bridge the gap between deep-tech research and real-world application. Switzerland is a global leader in both cryptography and finance, which is exactly where Zama sits. Our presence here has allowed us to accelerate our roadmap significantly. We aren't just doing "lab work" here; we are building production-ready infrastructure that secures billions in assets. 

3. What is the one thing about the local environment that you are most excited to leverage? 

The concentration of "Deep-Tech" talent. The Greater Zurich Area is a magnet for the world’s best mathematicians and developers, thanks to institutions like ETH Zurich. For a company like Zama – where nearly half of our team holds a PhD – this access to a high-caliber talent pool is our greatest competitive advantage. We are building the future of cryptography, and there is no better place to find the architects of that future. 

Institutional and regulatory sophistication in Greater Zurich

4. The last few months must have been busy. What has been the biggest surprise or learning since you started operating Zama Switzerland? 

The most pleasant surprise has been the speed of the "institutional appetite". We expected the tech community to be excited, but we’ve seen a massive surge of interest from traditional financial players in Greater Zurich. They understand that for Real World Assets (RWA) to move on-chain, they need compliance and confidentiality. Learning how to speak "Swiss banking" alongside "Web3" has been a vital evolution for us. Zama already has close ties with MME and Sygnum Bank. Our infrastructure partners include Luganodes and Nicomatic.

5. Can you share one thing that has been easier than expected about this strategic move? 

The regulatory clarity. In many jurisdictions, "privacy" is often misunderstood by regulators as "anonymity." In Switzerland, and specifically in Zug, the authorities have a sophisticated understanding of how privacy-preserving technologies like FHE actually aid compliance by protecting sensitive data while remaining verifiable. This shared vocabulary made our setup and integration into the local ecosystem much smoother than we anticipated. 

Scaling the confidential Web3 ecosystem in 2026

6. If you had to name one local partnership you were able to establish within the local tech ecosystem, which one is it? Or which one would you wish for? 

We've been working closely with the CryptoValley Association and CV VC, while starting to embed our protocol with technology providers. A dream partnership would be a deep collaboration with a major Swiss private bank to launch the first fully confidential, compliant on-chain stablecoin. Showing the world that "Swiss Private Banking" can exist on a public blockchain through Zama’s technology would be a "moon landing" moment for the industry.

7. Are you willing to share Zama’s plans for the upcoming year? 

2026 is our most pivotal year yet. We have just successfully launched our Mainnet, which marks the transition from research to a live, global protocol. Along with this, we’ve introduced the $ZAMA token, which powers the confidentiality layer of the network. Our focus now is on ecosystem growth—getting the $ZAMA token into the hands of developers and securing the next generation of confidential dApps. We want Zama to be the invisible security layer for every transaction in the Greater Zurich Area and beyond.