The vision for decentralized identity is beginning to rather quickly materialize as developers move from isolated ecosystems to something much more interoperable. And no one appears to be doing more in this space today than ZNS Connect, which has unveiled a massive expansion in its Web3 identity, launching four dedicated name services across diverse blockchain networks, from legacy financial platforms to emerging layer-2s, positioning them as a cross-chain hub of digital identity.
Bridging Traditional Finance and Web3 with .hood and .ink
One of the most exciting parts of this expansion is connecting with Robinhood’s network using .hood domains. By launching hoodnames.io, ZNS Connect is establishing a bridge so retail investors can wake up into Web3 safely using a brand they already recognize. On the other end, we have the launch of .ink domains on Ink, Kraken’s upcoming Layer 2 hungry net nervous.
Built on the OP Stack, Ink aims to onboard Kraken’s massive user base into DeFi. By securing identity on Ink through inknames.ink, ZNS Connect ensures that users are kept with the same “on-chain” persona when transitioning between centralized exchanges and decentralized protocols.
Powering DeFi and Scalability – .defi and .light
ZNS Connect is focused not only on major currency-backed exchanges but is also targeting the heart of the DeFi marketplace with its introduction of .defi domains that will run on Unichain’s mainnet. Unichain is a blockchain developed by Uniswap Labs and designed for DeFi usage and has a streamlined naming service that alleviates the complexity of decoding a 42-character wallet address to a human-readable name.
At the same time, .light domains have been added to the Pharos Network. The Pharos Network’s ultra-fast execution and deep-parallel performance are attracting attention. Introducing a native name service (pns.life) shows ZNS Connect’s dedication to developing high-performance infrastructure. By taking a multi-faceted approach, ZNS Connect will maintain the portability of users’ digital identities when they trade on either a main network or test platform.
The Growing Importance of Cross-Chain Identity
As Layer-2 implementations grow rapidly across the industry, the user experience is suffering from fragmentation and as a result the importance of maintaining unified identity is becoming increasingly vital. The total value locked and number of active chains continues to rise according to L2Beat’s data, therefore creating a need for protocols designed to provide “social glue” between these disparate environments.
As networks continue to grow, users must keep track of multiple gas tokens and wallet settings for each new app they use. ZNS Connect outlines this simple process for users to overcome the challenges of manual network switching, by creating a single domain that would eliminate all the barriers to making switching networks easy.
The change to a more chain agnostic service will facilitate the flow of a user’s digital reputation and social existence across all these architectural boundaries without losing either community trust or historical data. The move towards this new chain-agnostic experiential future will ultimately connect technical niche enthusiasts with the greater mainstream marketplace.
Conclusion
The recent expansion of ZNS Connect across the domains of Robinhood, Unichain, Pharos and Kraken’s Ink represent an important development for the adoption of Web3 domains. In broadening their offerings to include both mainnets and specialized ecosystems, ZNS Connect is creating a social base for the new generation of Internet, in addition to offering consumers domain names. As Web3 continues to evolve through 2026, consumers will likely have a standardized means of carrying their identity from chain to chain, rather than having exceptions to this norm.