Horizen aims to build a Proof-of-Work (PoW) cryptocurrency, with a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) sidechain platform enabling fully customizable decentralized applications.

The system has a Bitcoin-like blockchain at the core, with Equihash Proof of Work featuring a delayed block penalty algorithm for additional security.

The sidechain platform includes a Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, and a suite of developer tools and a User Interface made available in the sidechain software development kit that abstracts away the complexities of blockchain construction, deployment, and maintenance.

The Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol ("CCTP") allows a decoupled sidechain network independent of consensus, programming language, or any other design detail in the sidechains.

The Horizen coin (ZEN) is used for staking and as gas fee in the ecosystem.