Dear Panthers,

It's time for our monthly update on all things Panther!

Let's look back at what happened in February and what we're preparing for March.

Tech Updates

v0.5

In the beginning of the month, Panther’s dApp front-end faced an issue from IPFS’ side that temporarily impacted access to the v0.5 user interface. However, a new temporary link was quickly set up to remedy this. As a front-end issue, this only impacted the hosting of the application itself and had no relation to user funds.

Panther's dedicated task force has also been working on optimizing the dApp's bundle size for v0.5, which is a crucial aspect of decentralized deployment. Panther's contracts for fees and rewards functionalities are all progressing well, with some already designed.

You can still access 0.5’s dApp and stake tokens by clicking the “Launch App” button on Panther’s home page.

Developments towards v1

Regarding the fees/rewards mechanism of Panther's v1, development of its smart contract components is progressing. Mathematical models are now being put to test using modeling based on open data from transactions related to other privacy protocols.

On a similar note, Panther's tech contributors are leading an effort to enhance the underlying processes to conduct end-to-end testing. This will enable Panther to test roll-outs for both efficiency and effectiveness.

zSwap integration

The core component of Panther's upcoming v1 first DeFi Adaptor, zSwap, represents a significant milestone in the protocol's development. The feature will enable users to swap assets privately through major DEXs, with the protocol fee based on $ZKP. We have also made significant progress in connecting with Uniswap V3 and Quickswap V2, with Curve currently in progress.

First deployed on Polygon, zSwap features a DEX-like screen allowing users to choose:

• the token pair to swap

• their desired amounts

• the most favorable route with updated values based on fees and price impact.

To use zSwap, users must first deposit tokens into Panther's Multi-Asset Shielded Pool.

Once deposited, the assets become private (zAssets), shielded by zero-knowledge proofs and zkSNARKs cryptography.

By design, zSwap serves a dual function of enabling trading across all available assets and enhancing Panther's privacy set. Since along swapping users are able to trade within the pool, tracing assets back to any particular user becomes impossible.

New roadmap

Panther's co-founders and core tech contributors also met up to workshop Panther's roadmap, compliance design, and more, leading to the release of Panther’s roadmap for 2023-2024.

Panther’s newly-published roadmap brings a well-deserved update to our plans leading up to the release of v1. As you can see from it, Q1 2023 will be a time for planning, revising our public materials, and upgrading documentation. We are also moving forward with Decentralization Phase 2, which includes developing a working governance framework, which has kept the Panther community occupied.

Moving into Q2 2023, we will be launching v1’s Testnet, featuring Panther’s Multi-Asset Shielded Pool (MASP) and support for Zones. We will also be introducing DeFi Adaptors, starting with zSwap, and working towards the OTC-like zTrade functionality. Additionally, it will also feature Trust Providers and present the first version of Panther’s relayers.

Overall, we are excited about the progress we have made and the work that lies ahead in 2023.

Ecosystem

Road to v1: AMA with Oliver Gale & Saif Akhtar

Oliver Gale and Saif Akhtar detailed the features to expect in v1 and addressed community questions in a recent AMA. The complete recording of the session is available, along with an edited transcript.

For those looking for a straightforward explanation of why privacy is critical for DeFi, Panther's Co-Founder Anish Mohammed lays it out in this video clip.

ZK solutions are becoming increasingly popular in the DeFi ecosystem, and Panther has been recognized as a key player in this space. $ZKP has been included in Coingecko's and CoinMarketCap's ZK categories, which has raised awareness of our protocol.

Governance

Similarly, this month the Panther community showed overwhelming support for PIP-12, with over 98% of the community voting in favor of requesting the Panther Foundation to apply for a $ZKP listing on @MEXC_Global. The Panther Foundation is now taking steps in this regard.

The Panther community has also made significant progress towards setting up a self-decided governance framework to improve Panther's decentralization. The Panther DAO has demonstrated its durability and is positioning itself for long-term success.

The community will also be electing new Snapshot council members in the coming weeks. Join the discussion and be part of shaping the future of Panther's self-sustained governance!

If you’re interested in Panther’s road to decentralization, our latest article highlights the latest advancements along this path. We are excited to see what the future holds. We also posted a great thread highlighting the measures taken to guarantee the long-term viability and stability of the protocol amidst an escalating regulatory landscape.

Events

We’re proud to announce that Panther is a community sponsor of ZK9 and will join ZK pioneers in Lisbon on April 4th!

We’re also pleased to announce our participation in Monerotopia, in Mexico City to discuss and explore innovative solutions with leaders in crypto privacy and ZK technology.

Saif Akhtar, Head of Product at Panther Protocol, spoke at the "A whole lot of Zero Knowledge Proofs" session at ETHDenver 2023. He discussed the various use cases of zero-knowledge proofs and how they can enhance privacy and security in blockchain transactions.

Media

Our co-founder Anish Mohammed participated in a panel discussion with pioneers from zkSync and PolygonZero to explore the latest advancements and innovations in the ZK space. Check it out to discover how Panther contributes to enhanced privacy in the ZK ecosystem.

Anish also shared his insights on protecting user privacy with the community in several valuable clips.

See them here:

1. How Panther Pools protect users' privacy while interacting with DeFi protocols

2. How zAssets enable users to safeguard their alpha from attackers.

About Panther

Panther is a decentralized protocol that enables interoperable privacy in DeFi using zero-knowledge proofs.

Users can mint fully-collateralized, composable tokens called zAssets, which can be used to execute private, trusted DeFi transactions across multiple blockchains.

Panther helps investors protect their personal financial data and trading strategies, and provides financial institutions with a clear path to compliantly participate in DeFi.

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