[TPP-3] ZIP Audit Reimbursement Program (ZARP)

Abstract

The ZIP Audit Reimbursement Program (ZARP) allocates $5m USD in ZK over the 2025 calendar year to increase security standards across the ZKsync protocol by reimbursing the costs associated with third-party audits of successful ZIPs. This program will ensure that ZIP developers strive for exceptional security audit standards, resulting in secure and robust contributions to the ZKsync protocol.

Motivation

This proposal aligns with GAP 001: ZKsync Token Program Priorities 2025, which emphasizes the importance of accelerating ZKsync protocol development. As security is a foundational pillar of protocol integrity, this program directly supports the "Secure the Protocol" priority within GAP 001.

Impact

This program directly contributes to securing the ZKsync protocol, aligning with the ZKsync Governance North Star metric of protecting assets, builders, and the community from adversarial actors. By ensuring that all ZIPs undergo thorough security audits, the program mitigates vulnerabilities and strengthens the resilience of the protocol, removing the financial burden of security audits.

Primary Goals & Metrics

Token Mechanic

This Token Program Proposal (TPP) approves the creation of two capped minters to fund audit reimbursements for ZIPs executed in 2025. The total value of the two capped minters is 89,285,714 ZK, which is the ZK token value of $5m USD based on the 30-day average from 27 April 2025. An overview of the two capped minters is set out below:

1. ZarpMain – A general-purpose capped minter for ZIPs executed between May 1 and December 31, 2025. A total of 49,810,714 ZK may be minted from ZarpMain. Each ZIP will request its own allocation from this minter.
2. ZarpRetro – A capped minter to reimburse audit costs for ZIPs approved by the Token Assembly between January 1 and April 30, 2025. A total of 39,475,000 ZK may be minted from ZarpRetro.

1. ZarpMain: Future Audit Reimbursements (Q2 - Q4, 2025)

ZarpMain is a capped minter that will fund audit reimbursements for any developer who submits a successfully executed ZIP on ZKsync between May 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Any ZIP author is eligible to claim audit reimbursements by following the outlined process, supporting the decentralization of protocol development. Developers will deploy a nested “child” capped minter to be able to draw from this main capped minter with successful protocol upgrade execution.

ZarpMain Capped Minter Parameters

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for reimbursement:

• The ZIP must be successfully executed on ZKsync between May 1 and December 31, 2025.
• The ZIP must include a third-party audit from a recognized security firm.
• Audit invoice(s) must be submitted for verification to the ZKsync Security Council via direct message on the governance forum, before the ZIP is submitted onchain.

Reimbursements cover audit fees, formal verification costs, and code competitions. They do not cover ZIP development labor, travel, or other indirect expenses. A given audit may only be reimbursed once.

Claim Process

To claim reimbursement through ZarpMain, ZIP authors must complete the following steps before onchain submission of the relevant ZIP:

1. Deploy a child capped minter with the following parameters (see Capped Minter V2 for deployment instructions):

Please reach out to Gov Team for support creating child capped minters.

1. In the ZIP draft posted on the governance forum, include:

• Link to the audit report
• Link to the deployed child capped minter contract

1. In the onchain ZIP submission, include calldata to:

• Grant MINTER role:
  1. on the parent capped minter (ZarpMain) to the child capped minter; and
  2. on the child capped minter to the ZIP developer
• Grant PAUSER role on the child capped minter to the ZKsync Security Council on ZKsync Era (0xfFB6126FF8401665081b771bB11cCD0e09f95D5A)

If the ZIP passes the Token Assembly vote, the child minter’s MINTER role will become active after a 30-day buffer. During this time, the Security Council will verify the audit details if it has not already done so. If necessary, the Security Council may pause the minter using their PAUSER role, preventing misuse of funds.

2. ZarpRetro: Past Audit Reimbursement (Q1, 2025)

ZarpRetro is a capped minter used to reimburse audit costs for ZIPs approved by the Token Assembly prior to April 30, 2025. Any ZIP author is eligible for retroactive reimbursement. Matter Labs has been the only developer to submit protocol upgrades to date. As a result, Matter Labs is the sole claimant under the ZarpRetro capped minter.

ZarpRetro Capped Minter Parameters

The ZKsync Security Council has reviewed (or will review) the audit invoices and reports for ZIPs approved prior to 30 April 2025 to confirm eligibility.

The total value of the ZarpRetro Capped Minter is $2,210,600 USD. Using the 30-day average price of ZK from 27 April 2025, this amounts to 39,475,000 ZK tokens, which is the cap of the ZarpRetro Capped Minter.

Summary of Retro Audit Reimbursements

Eligibility

All ZIPs approved by the Token Assembly prior to 30 April 2025 were developed by Matter Labs. As such, Matter Labs will define the MINTER address for the ZARPRetro capped minter.

Details of audit reimbursements being claimed by Matter Labs are set out in the tables below.

All reimbursements claimed from the ZarpRetro capped have been reviewed and approved by the Security Council.

Claim Process

As the admin of the ZarpRetro capped minter, Matter Labs will be able to assign the minter role at their discretion that will be able to mint tokens in the ZarpRetro capped minter. The tokens are available to mint at any time until 31 January 2026.

Plan

Measurement & Reporting

• On-chain tracking: The ZarpMain Capped Minter will record all disbursements, ensuring transparency.
• Quarterly governance updates: The Security Council will publish status reports tracking disbursements and participation.
• End-of-year report: A detailed impact analysis will be presented to the community.

Accountability Framework

• The Security Council will review all reimbursement requests.
• Conflicts of interest will be managed via a recusal policy.
• All reimbursements are publicly documented for transparency.
• Program impact is evaluated annually with Token Assembly input.

Participants

• Security Council (responsible for oversight and pausing ineligible distributions).
• ZIP developers and/or contributors (subject to KYC/KYB as per ZKsync Association policy).