Starknet’s ZKX Protocol Ceases Operations Due To Financial Struggles

Starknet-based ZKX Protocol will shut down with all markets delisted and funds returned to users due to financial challenges.

According to a July 30 social media post by ZKX founder Eduard , the decision to discontinue operations stems from minimal user engagement, low trading volumes, and insufficient revenue to cover operational costs.

ZKX Founder Eduard Announces Discontinuation

Eduard encouraged users to withdraw their funds by the end of August, and the sunset period will continue until the end of the month. The protocol faced challenges with token value decline and broader DeFi market exhaustion .

“We strongly encourage everyone to withdraw their funds before sunset through August and claim any pending STRK rewards,” said Eduard.

“The decision to halt operations is based on several key factors,” Eduard added. “Our user engagement has been minimal, with only a few individuals mining STRK and ZKX rewards. Consequently, trading volumes have significantly decreased, and daily revenue can barely cover a fraction of our cloud server expenses.”

Eduard highlighted the broader exhaustion of the DeFi paradigm as impacting the entire sector. Despite the challenges, he expressed gratitude to those who remained supportive during this period.

“We appreciate the high degree of accountability that they required from us, but it has been exceptionally challenging to sustain and engage with a DeFi community in an industry that’s heavily driven by token incentives and airdrop value extraction,” stated the founder.

Do Kwon’s Terraform Labs Ceases Operations

In June, Do Kwon’s blockchain protocol Terraform Labs ceased operations after settling its lawsuit with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company’s CEO, Chris Amani, stated that Terraform intended to dissolve and would close operations completely.

“I’m incredibly proud that we were able to hold this company and ecosystem together and continue to build innovative products through all of this,” said Amani. “We were well positioned to accelerate things if we had won the trial, but unfortunately we lost and as a result, can no longer operate.”