Aztec: The Private World Computer for Ethereum Privacy

Aztec co-founders Zac Williamson and Joe Andrews have spent eight years building a “private world computer” on Ethereum, powering shielded trades and smart contracts without leaking your balances or strategies. In this episode of Bankless they unpack the Aztec ignition chain, “private intents” for cross-L1/L2 routing, and ZK Passport—a proof-of-personhood system that turns your NFC e-passport into reusable identity without selfies or traditional KYC.

They also dive into Aztec’s one-shot move to a fully decentralized L2 (stage-2 rollup with decentralized sequencers), scaling considerations (TPS, fees, the Aztec stack), and new privacy primitives in Noir. Along the way you’ll hear about selective disclosure for regulators, the coming AI deepfake storm that breaks Web2 KYC, “holistic on-chain identity,” and why the second crypto privacy war feels a lot like the early SSL battles.

Watch on YouTube