Roadmap
Zhenglong is a modular synthetic asset protocol with long-term ambitions to become the default infrastructure for tokenizing and trading any market data. The roadmap below outlines the key phases of protocol development, expansion, and innovation.
Note on Adaptability: The crypto industry moves rapidly, with new technologies, market conditions, and opportunities emerging constantly. While this roadmap represents our current vision and strategic direction, we are committed to adapting and evolving our plans as the landscape changes. The phases and priorities outlined below will be regularly reassessed and may be modified to respond to industry developments, community feedback, and technological advancements. This adaptability ensures Zhenglong remains at the forefront of innovation while delivering the most value to its users and the broader ecosystem.
1. Mainnet Launch of Core Infrastructure (Short Term)
Zhenglong will launch on Ethereum mainnet with:
- Deployment of core contracts (minter, stability pools, rebalance logic)
- Genesis Vault for zheUSD + steamedETH using wstETH collateral
- Deployment of initial AMM liquidity pools
- STEAM emissions and staking logic activated
- Security audit publication and protocol UI live
This lays the foundation for rapid synthetic asset creation and incentive-driven usage.
Token Launch
- Distribute STEAM tokens according to allocation
- Launch Initial DEX Offering (IDO)
- Seed initial liquidity pools
- Begin emissions according to schedule
Initial Markets
- Deploy contracts
- Launch zheUSD and steamedETH with wstETH collateral
- Set up both types of stability pools
- Enable yield generation from stETH
2. Rapid Market Expansion (Short Term)
Immediately after launch, Zhenglong will focus on deploying multiple new markets quickly, based on:
- Oracle availability
- Collateral compatibility
- Community and protocol demand
Target Asset Types
- Crypto synths: zheBTC, zheETH, zheLDO, zheUNI, etc.
- Real-world assets: zheTSLA, zheXAU (gold), zheSPX
- Stablecoins and FX: zheEUR, zheJPY, zheUSDYIELD
- Leveraged variations: steamedBTC, steamedETH, etc.
Each new market will include:
- A pegged token (zheToken)
- A leverage token (steamedToken)
- Incentivized Stability Pools
- Genesis Vaults
New markets can be launched modularly, and proposals for new collateral–peg pairs will be enabled via governance.
Governance Activation
- Enable veSTEAM locking
- Deploy voting contracts
- Implement gauge system
- Set up governance forum
Community Control
- Launch voting gauges for emissions
- Begin community proposals process
- Enable fee distribution
- Coordinate with veBAO holders
3. Cross-Chain Deployment & Omnichain Expansion (Mid Term)
To support broader adoption and DeFi integration, Zhenglong will expand across chains:
Native Deployments
- Smart contracts deployed on Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Berachain, and other EVM-compatible chains with local minting
Omnichain Synth Transfer
- Synthetic assets bridged via LayerZero for seamless movement between chains
- Unified supply control across all deployments
- Consistent yields and governance
- Cross-chain stability pools
Each deployment will inherit global parameters but may adapt to local asset conditions, enabling protocol growth in emerging DeFi markets.
4. Permissionless Market Factory (Mid to Long Term)
Zhenglong will evolve into a market creation platform — a place where anyone can launch synthetic markets with:
- A collateral token
- A trusted price feed (Chainlink, Redstone, or custom TWAP)
- A Stability Pool configuration
Deliverables
- Web-based market creation UI
- Permissionless factory contracts
- Templates for volatile, inverse, or index synthetics
- Custom market parameters
This transforms Zhenglong from a protocol into infrastructure — empowering protocols and DAOs to create their own data-driven assets.
Advanced Features
- Release governance tooling
- Implement tokenized rewards
- Add advanced trading features
- Deploy analytics dashboard
Governance-Led Innovation (Ongoing)
While the roadmap above focuses on core protocol development, future upgrades may be proposed and governed by STEAM holders, including:
- Lending and structured yield products for synthetic assets
- Advanced STEAM-based meta-governance systems
- Monitoring, insurance integrations, and institutional features
- Composable wrappers and leverage strategies
These upgrades can be implemented modularly, based on protocol maturity, usage patterns, and community priorities.
Summary
Zhenglong's roadmap balances:
- Speed – to quickly reach market saturation with useful synths
- Depth – to integrate deeply into the DeFi stack
- Flexibility – to support new data feeds, use cases, and chains
- Sustainability – through modular design and evolving governance
- Adaptability – to respond to market changes and emerging opportunities
The long-term vision remains consistent even as implementation details may evolve:
A universal synthetic asset platform where anyone can create or access any market
We recognize that the path to achieving this vision may change as the crypto landscape evolves. Our community governance structure ensures that Zhenglong can pivot when necessary while maintaining focus on its core mission.