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Redefining Privacy: Howard Wu on Aleo, Zero-Knowledge, and the Future of Blockchain Confidentiality

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In this interview, Howard Wu, Founder of Aleo and CEO of Provable (an Aleo Labs company that focuses on developing products for compliant and confidential payments, as well as creating tools for developers to deploy and manage apps on the Aleo blockchain) shares how they are rethinking privacy in the blockchain era through the use of zero-knowledge proofs.

With transparency long considered a massive cornerstone in our industry, Wu argues that true innovation lies in programmable privacy – a concept that allows users and developers to decide what data is shared and with whom.

Join us in an interesting and thought-provoking conversation centered around the fundamental beliefs of the cryptocurrency industry.

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Aleo is built around the concept of privacy-preserving applications using zero-knowledge proofs. In your view, how does Aleo fundamentally redefine what privacy means in the blockchain space?

Transparency is one of the founding principles of blockchain transactions, creating a new community based on public accountability. However, as blockchain evolves, the community has increasingly recognized that absolute transparency can be problematic. Businesses need confidential transactions, individuals don’t want to expose all of their financial data publicly, and applications that manage personal data need to be able to decide what information should be public and what should be private.  

Aleo is the first ZK blockchain designed with programmable privacy as a core principle, rather than an afterthought, opening up entirely new use cases that allow people to protect their application state and personal data from misuse.

Aleo is known for its vertically integrated stack—from the Leo programming language to snarkOS and snarkVM. Why was vertical integration a strategic choice, and how does it shape the developer experience on Aleo?

As developers ourselves, we wanted to give Aleo devs the simplest developer experience possible. From Leo, our Rust-based DSL, to snarkOS and snarkVM, developers have everything they need to build in one place. By abstracting away the low-level cryptography, developers can focus on the logic of their application and not the extensive cryptography knowledge that used to be needed to build with zero-knowledge.

With the Aleo mainnet now live, what kinds of real-world use cases are you most excited about, and what signals are you seeing that point to ecosystem traction?

Every time we share personal information with each other or with an organization is an opportunity for zero-knowledge to make that process safer and more secure. With that being said, zero-knowledge has immense potential to change the way we send payments online. The transparency offered by the blockchain isn’t conducive to making payments – why would we want the details of our transactions, including amount, sender and receiver, public? And more importantly, our entire wallet history is available anytime we send and receive money too. 

This is blocking enterprise adoption of cryptocurrency in different finance applications, including payroll and cross-border payments. On Aleo, transactions can be sent privately and compliantly, opening up these new use cases for businesses around the globe. 

Open-source is a central theme in Web3. How does Aleo balance building sophisticated cryptographic tools while keeping the ecosystem open and accessible to developers?

All of our software to run and operate the Aleo Network is fully open-sourced. In addition, our programming language, Leo, is also fully open-sourced. We want Aleo to be a decentralized and permissionless ecosystem.

We have prioritized publishing our technical roadmap to be open and visible to all community members. This level of transparency ensures projects building on Aleo know exactly what the core developers are focused on at any given moment, and when these are expected to land on the network as well.

All of our core protocol upgrades are made through collective decisions with our community. We use ARCs (Aleo Request for Comment) as our governance process, and have ARCs posted on vote.aleo.org to allow for community members to vote on the proposal. Once a quorum and minimum amount of “approve” votes is achieved, this is then moved forward onto the release pipeline. 

Zero-knowledge proofs are powerful but often resource-intensive. How has Aleo approached the challenges of scalability and efficiency without compromising on privacy?

We designed Aleo to use an incredibly efficient zero-knowledge proof system, all without compromising on user or data privacy. Namely, the type of zero-knowledge proofs we use verify in mere milliseconds and are under 1KB in size. This differs in design from many other zero-knowledge proof systems out there and we’ve been able to use these properties of our solution to scale the throughput of consensus on the Aleo Network by supporting batch executions of programs and parallel verifications of transactions on the network.

As new proof systems evolve, we’ve also designed Aleo to be upgradable, so that we can incorporate newer technologies into the blockchain and allow for the network to scale even further.

Looking ahead, how do you envision the regulatory landscape evolving for privacy-preserving blockchains, and what role do you see Aleo playing in shaping that future?

I believe we’ll reach a balanced state that recognizes the need for oversight but also the need for privacy. We’re already seeing privacy as a fundamental right gaining ground culturally, and it’s a matter of time before regulatory standards evolve to meet it. 

By building compliance tools directly into our platform, we’re positioning Aleo to be ahead of the curve addressing any potential future regulations while maintaining  With all state on Aleo private-by-default, payments made on Aleo utilize an account view key to decrypt and read transactions. Developers are able to control which parties see what transaction data, allowing for more granular compliance control.

Disclaimer: The content shared in this interview is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, investment recommendation, or endorsement of any project, protocol, or asset. The cryptocurrency space involves risk and volatility. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with qualified professionals before making any financial decisions. This interview was conducted in cooperation with Aleo, who generously shared their time and insights. The content has been reviewed and approved for publication in mutual understanding. Minor edits have been made for clarity and readability, while preserving the substance and tone of the original conversation.

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Cryptocurrency

BNB Hits Record High, Analysts Now Target $2K

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TL;DR

  • BNB clears two-year resistance with volume support and 120K+ tokens bought by Nano Labs.
  • Risk indicators show no overheated conditions, giving room for the rally to continue climbing.
  • Windtree Therapeutics and others are securing millions to increase BNB holdings for treasury use.

BNB Breaks Resistance and Pushes Higher

BNB has moved above $855, setting a new all-time high. Analyst Crypto Patel confirmed the breakout and named $2,000 as the next major level to watch. He pointed out that BNB has gained over 100% since its last retest, with the rise supported by steady growth across the Binance ecosystem.

Crypto analyst Henry noted that BNB cleared a six-month channel and held its retest at $780. He added that smart money stepped in as volume spiked and demand zones held firm. Nano Labs has reportedly accumulated more than 120,000 BNB. 

Meanwhile, BNB Chain’s decentralized exchange volume reached $190 billion this month, with on-chain transactions rising threefold since April.

Risk Metrics Show No Overheating

Joao Wedson, CEO of Alphractal, said BNB’s current Sharpe Ratio remains under 1.0. This level suggests the rally has not yet entered the high-risk zone often seen before local tops. Previous market peaks, such as in April–May 2021, saw the ratio rise well above this range.

Wedson also pointed to the Normalized Risk Metric, which is now at 0.005. This number is low compared to earlier highs, showing that BNB is not trading under excessive pressure. 

According to Wedson’s analysis, the setup suggests more room for upward movement before risk signals begin flashing.

In addition, the BNB/ETH ratio is on the rise. Wedson noted that this pattern has often appeared when Bitcoin nears a short-term top or bottom. In previous cycles, sharp moves in this pair acted as early signs of broader changes in the market trend.

As BNB gains strength against Ethereum, traders are watching for possible follow-through from Bitcoin and other large-cap assets.

Treasury Activity and Large Purchases Increase

Windtree Therapeutics, a biotech firm listed on Nasdaq, announced plans to add BNB to its reserves. The company has secured $520 million through two funding deals—a $500 million equity line of credit and a $20 million stock purchase agreement with Build and Build Corp.

Separately, a Chinese blockchain company confirmed a $500 million convertible notes deal to buy BNB. Its goal is to accumulate up to 10% of the total circulating supply.

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Ripple Price Warning: XRP Could Tumble if This Crucial Support Cracks (Analysis)

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Following Bitcoin’s record-breaking rally, Ripple (XRP) has experienced a notable uptrend in recent weeks, establishing a strong bullish market structure across both its USDT and BTC trading pairs.

However, the current price action indicates a potential overextension, suggesting a short-term correction or consolidation phase may occur before further upside continuation.

Technical Analysis

By ShayanMarkets

The USDT Pair

XRP has recently surpassed the significant $3.30 resistance level against USDT, extending a rally that began in early July. This bullish breakout was triggered by the price moving above both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, which are now trending upward and forming a bullish crossover near the $2.40 area. These moving averages are likely to act as dynamic support in case of a deeper retracement.

Despite the bullish momentum, XRP is showing early signs of rejection at the $3.30 level. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) entered the overbought zone but has since declined below 70, coinciding with the current price pullback. The $3.00 level is now serving as short-term support.

If this level holds, it could provide a solid foundation for the next leg up. However, a break below $3.00 could trigger a more pronounced decline toward the $2.40 region, where the aforementioned moving averages converge.

The BTC Pair

The XRP/BTC chart reflects a similar trend, with Ripple’s token surging from early July and breaking above the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, both positioned near the 2,400 SAT level. This bullish move was met with resistance at 3,200 SAT, where the rally temporarily stalled.

Currently, the market is retesting a bullish fair value gap near the 2,700 SAT area. If this zone provides support, it could serve as a launchpad for another attempt at the 3,200 SAT resistance, with potential for a breakout. Conversely, failure to hold above 2,700 SAT could open the door to a deeper correction, with downside targets around 2,400 SAT or possibly the key 2,000 SAT support level.

Overall, while XRP’s trend remains bullish, short-term caution is warranted due to potential overbought conditions.

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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

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Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin Price Analysis: BTC Correction Over? Here’s What Signals a New ATH

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Bitcoin recently flushed a key liquidity zone below the $116K mark, triggering a period of sideways consolidation.

With the FOMC meeting scheduled for Wednesday, traders are bracing for a potentially significant price move driven by macroeconomic developments.

Technical Analysis

By ShayanMarkets

The Daily Chart

Bitcoin remains within a steep ascending price channel, recently triggering a sweep of significant sell-side liquidity just below the $116K level. This area was loaded with stop-losses and long liquidations, which were flushed as the market dipped.

Despite a short-term rebound following the sweep, bullish momentum has yet to regain full strength, likely due to a spike in supply pressure following a historic whale transaction, where one of the oldest known wallets moved dormant BTC after years of inactivity.

Currently, Bitcoin is consolidating between the ascending channel’s support at $114K and the ATH resistance around $123K. This range-bound behavior reflects market hesitation ahead of the FOMC meeting scheduled for Wednesday, which is expected to trigger a major volatility event based on the Fed’s rate policy decision.

The 4-Hour Chart

On the lower timeframe, BTC’s corrective drop was absorbed near the 0.5 Fibonacci retracement zone around $115K, prompting a reversal. Moreover, the price action has broken above a bullish flag formation, signaling a potential continuation toward $123K if momentum sustains. However, this bullish setup is contingent upon upcoming macro developments.

All eyes are now on Wednesday’s FOMC meeting, with traders awaiting confirmation of a rate cut or hawkish tone. Depending on the Fed’s stance, Bitcoin could either break above its ATH or revisit lower support zones.

On-chain Analysis

By ShayanMarkets

As Bitcoin continues to trade sideways without a decisive breakout, the behavior of large holders is raising eyebrows across the market. On July 25th, a notable spike in Binance Whale Inflows was recorded, with over $1.2 billion in cumulative BTC entering the exchange in a single day. This surge marks the largest 30-day inflow observed in recent months, signaling a major shift in market dynamics.

This wave of inflows led to immediate short-term selling pressure, pushing Bitcoin down from the $120K resistance to the $115K–$116K support zone, where it currently consolidates. While retail inflows have been gradually rising, they pale in comparison to this whale activity, highlighting a significant imbalance in market supply.

If buyers fail to absorb this wave of supply, further downside toward $110K becomes a likely scenario. However, should Bitcoin rebound from current support, a retest of $121K and potentially new all-time highs remain on the table.

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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

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