On October 1, 2026, Ethereum Foundation and Open Anonymity Project launched zkAPI on the Ethereum mainnet. The service enables users to pay for AI inference and other APIs using ETH, USDC, and other assets, while keeping the wallet that made the payment hidden from the provider.

How it works: ZK proofs and temporary keys

In zkAPI, payment is separated from the API request through the use of ZK proofs. The user receives a temporary API key with a spending limit, isolating payment from service usage. More details are provided in the Ethereum Foundation publication.

Planned use cases: from RPC to payments between AI agents

The technology is intended not only for AI services, but also for RPC, image and video generation, VPN, and payments between AI agents.