Aztec Launches Alpha Network, Ethereum's First L2 for Private Smart Contracts

Aztec Network has launched its Alpha Network, delivering what it says is the first Ethereum Layer 2 with a complete execution environment for private smart contracts.

The upgrade, which followed a unanimous community governance vote, builds on the Ignition Chain that went live in November 2025 as the coordination layer for decentralized sequencing and block production.

AZTEC is up 5% in the past 24 hours, trading at a roughly $200 million valuation, according to Coingecko.

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