Zenith Opens a Public EVM Testnet for Canton, and Kaiko Deploys the First Oracle on It
Zenith says its EVM runs as an extension of Canton's core protocol, so Solidity and Daml contracts can call each other in one transaction. Kaiko's Data On-Ramp oracle is live on the testnet.
Zenith has opened a public testnet for its EVM environment on the Canton Network, in a blog post dated 28 September 2026. Two days later, on 30 September, market data provider Kaiko announced that its Data On-Ramp oracle is running on the Zenith testnet, and called it the first institutional-grade oracle there.
What Zenith is building
Zenith describes its product as an EVM extension to Canton's core protocol, and says it is neither a layer 2 nor a bridge. According to the post:
- Ethereum tooling. The EVM is based on Reth and exposes the standard Ethereum JSON-RPC interface, so developers can deploy Solidity contracts with familiar tools and connect with MetaMask.
- Canton consensus. Block production and finality are handled by Canton's consensus, not by a separate chain.
- Daml and Solidity together. Developers can also deploy Daml on the underlying Canton test network, and a primitive called external_call() lets Daml workflows call Solidity contracts atomically, in a single transaction.
- Supporting tools. The testnet has a block explorer that links EVM transactions to the matching Canton updates, and a faucet. Its chain ID is 936485 and its native token is ZTH.
Zenith says Digital Asset co-architected the design. It also says external_call() is scheduled to reach Canton MainNet with the Canton 3.6 release in the fourth quarter of 2026, and that Zenith EVM aims to go live on MainNet soon after. Chief executive Teemu Päivinen said: "Canton proved that institutions want blockchain infrastructure built for regulated markets."
Earlier in the month, on 16 September, Zenith said in a post on the Canton forum that it had joined the DTC Digital Assets Solutions Industry Working Group for DTCC's Tokenization Service.
Kaiko's oracle
Kaiko says its Data On-Ramp oracle is live on the Zenith testnet and is set for full production when Zenith launches on mainnet, which Kaiko says is scheduled to roll out with the upcoming Canton 3.6 release. Kaiko's announcement includes a statement from Bernhard Elsner, Digital Asset's chief product officer, who describes Kaiko as a core data infrastructure partner for the Canton Network.
Kaiko already has ties to the network: on 14 September it named Canton among the strategic investors in the extension of its Series B round.
Why it matters
Canton applications are written in Daml, not Solidity, which has kept most EVM developers at a distance. If it works as described, an environment where Solidity and Daml contracts can call each other atomically would let Ethereum developers build for Canton with tools they already use, with Canton's consensus underneath.
A price feed matters for the same reason: lending, derivatives and collateral contracts all need one. Having a regulated data provider in place before mainnet closes one gap for the first applications.
