Cross-Protocol Settlement

Cross-Protocol Settlement defines how ZKFund executes actions that touch external protocols without leaking strategy, counterparties, or execution logic.

Real funds do not operate in isolation. They trade across venues, source liquidity from multiple protocols, and interact with infrastructure they do not control.

ZKFund is designed to do this without breaking its privacy guarantees.


The Problem with External Interactions

Most privacy systems fail the moment they interact with something external.

Even if internal execution is private, external calls often reveal:

  • which protocol was used

  • when the interaction occurred

  • approximate trade size

  • execution intent

Over time, these interactions become reliable signals.

Cross-Protocol Settlement exists to prevent this leakage.


ZK Pool as an Abstraction Layer

ZKFund never interacts with external protocols directly from governance or execution logic.

All external interactions are mediated by ZK Pool.

ZK Pool acts as an abstraction layer that:

  • encapsulates external calls

  • enforces governance constraints

  • absorbs execution details

  • emits only proof of validity

From the perspective of ZKFund, an external protocol is just:

“a valid settlement endpoint”

not a visible execution partner.


What Is Proven, Not Revealed

When settlement involves an external protocol, ZK Pool proves that:

  • the interaction followed governance rules

  • execution stayed within defined limits

  • no unauthorized behavior occurred

It does not reveal:

  • which protocol was used

  • how liquidity was sourced

  • what route was taken

  • how execution was optimized

Correctness is verifiable; strategy is not observable.


Execution Without Signaling

Cross-Protocol Settlement is designed to avoid execution signaling.

This means:

  • no identifiable timing correlation

  • no consistent execution patterns

  • no protocol-specific fingerprints

Repeated interactions across the same protocol do not create a detectable pattern from the outside.


Supported Interaction Types

Cross-Protocol Settlement can support:

  • swaps on external DEXs

  • liquidity provisioning or removal

  • OTC-style fills

  • bridge interactions

  • cross-domain execution

Each interaction type is handled as a private state transition, not a public transaction.


Failure Handling

If an external interaction fails:

  • the failure is contained within ZK Pool

  • no partial state is exposed

  • no external signal is leaked

  • a failure proof receipt is emitted

Governance may then decide on remediation without revealing intent.


Security & Trust Model

ZKFund does not assume external protocols are trustworthy.

Instead:

  • interactions are tightly constrained

  • settlement rules are enforced locally

  • proofs validate that constraints were respected

Even hostile or unreliable external protocols cannot extract internal information.


Why Cross-Protocol Settlement Matters

Without cross-protocol privacy:

  • strategy leaks through venue choice

  • funds become predictable

  • adversaries can model behavior

Cross-Protocol Settlement ensures that:

  • ZKFund remains private even when interacting with the broader ecosystem

  • execution remains non-inferable

  • capital can operate freely across protocols

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