The History of Firo
From the first practical implementation of the Zerocoin protocol to today's cutting-edge Lelantus Spark — Firo's journey of privacy innovation.
Key Milestones
Research Begins
Poramin Insom begins research on implementing the Zerocoin protocol as a practical cryptocurrency, studying at Johns Hopkins University.
Zcoin Launch
The project launches as Zcoin — the first practical implementation of the Zerocoin protocol, bringing zero-knowledge proofs to a live blockchain.
Early Growth
Zcoin gains recognition as a pioneering privacy coin. The project focuses on improving privacy mechanisms and building community.
Bug Discovery & Sigma
A cryptographic flaw in the Zerocoin protocol is discovered. The team begins developing Sigma — a new protocol without trusted setup.
Sigma Activation
Sigma replaces Zerocoin, eliminating the trusted setup requirement while maintaining strong privacy guarantees with smaller proof sizes.
Lelantus Activation
Lelantus goes live — flexible amounts, larger anonymity sets, and one-out-of-many proofs. A major leap in privacy technology.
Rebrand to Firo
Zcoin rebrands to Firo, reflecting the evolved protocol (burning/firing coins for privacy) and a fresh identity for the project.
FiroPoW Launch
New GPU mining algorithm FiroPoW replaces MTP, designed for ASIC resistance and fairer mining distribution.
Lelantus Spark Activation
Spark goes live with hidden amounts, Spark addresses, direct private transfers, and view keys — the most complete privacy protocol yet.
Spark Names & Assets
Roadmap targets Spark Names (human-readable addresses), Spark Assets (privacy tokens), and Curve Trees (global anonymity sets).
The Team Behind Firo
Firo is developed by a global team of researchers, cryptographers, and engineers:
Researcher and visionary who brought the Zerocoin protocol to life as a working cryptocurrency.
Created the Lelantus and Spark protocols — Firo's groundbreaking privacy technology.
Drives strategy, partnerships, and community engagement for the Firo project.
Leads core protocol implementation and coordinates the development team.
Be Part of Firo's Future
Check the roadmap to see what's coming next, or join the community.