Shield

Live on Aztec Mainnet Alpha (v4.3). Real ZK proofs since 2026-05-29. Aztec is currently in Alpha — 1 TPS, 6-72s block times, ongoing audits + bug bounty. Public launch aligned with Aztec v5.

What is it

Shield is a privacy-preserving on-and-off-ramp between Ethereum L1 and Aztec L2. It lets you move tokens into Aztec’s private layer while proving you’re compliant, without revealing personal information.

It’s the only bridge in the Aztec ecosystem with identity verification built in. Compliance is enforced cryptographically: zero-knowledge proofs at identity issuance, on-chain attestation verification at every deposit.

How it works

Every deposit is identity-gated and sanctions-screened, regardless of mode or amount. Modes differ in what arrives on Aztec:

Public mode — tokens arrive as transparent, traceable assets on Aztec.
Private mode — tokens arrive as “Clean” tokens (e.g., cUSDC) on Aztec’s private layer. The “Clean” designation indicates the holder was identity-screened before entering the private pool.

Identity verification

Proof of Clean Hands (PoCH) — unlimited bridging

Full verification, takes about 5 minutes, valid for one year. Steps:

Complete a government ID check (passport, driver’s license, residence permit, visa, or voter card)
Pass a liveness scan (biometric match against your ID)
System screens against 23 international sanctions sources automatically

On success, you receive an on-chain Clean Hands SBT. PoCH grants unlimited bridging (public or private mode). Credentials expire after one year. You can renew starting from month 11.

Verify at: id.human.tech/clean-hands/prove/mishti-encrypted

Human Passport — capped bridging

The lighter option. If your humanity score is 20 or above, you can bridge up to a capped per-transaction amount (currently 1,000 USDC equivalent). Works for both public and private mode.

No government ID required. Your score comes from verifying stamps (GitHub, Google, ENS, etc.) on your Passport.

Check your score at: app.passport.xyz

Sanctions screening

Every deposit — public or private, regardless of amount — is screened against 23 international sanctions and watchlist data sources via sanctions.io . The same 23 source codes are used by Proof of Clean Hands issuance, so credentialing-time and per-deposit checks see identical coverage.

What we screen against:

OFAC sanctions lists — Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and sub-lists; Foreign Sanctions Evaders; Chinese Military Companies; Palestinian Legislative Council; Sectoral Sanctions Identifications (SSI)
FATF — Black and Grey Lists
FBI Most Wanted
FINCEN — 311 Special Measures
Interpol — Red Notices
US Bureau of Industry and Security — Entity List, Denied Persons List, Military End User List
US Department of State — Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, International Security and Nonproliferation, Cuba Restricted List
Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) data

If sanctions.io is unreachable, the attestation flow fails closed — no attestation is issued, no deposit allowed.

Private exits run a fresh sanctions check, catching addresses that became sanctioned after their initial deposit. Exit attestations are nonce-bound and single-use, preventing replay of a captured attestation.

Full sanctions.io source codes

The 23 sanctions.io data_source codes we screen against:

Code	List
`SDN`	OFAC Specially Designated Nationals
`OFAC-COMPREHENSIVE`	OFAC Comprehensive Sanctions
`OFAC-MILITARY`	OFAC Military-related Sanctions
`OFAC-OTHERS`	OFAC Other Sanctions Lists
`NONSDN`	OFAC Non-SDN List
`NS-MBS LIST`	OFAC Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions List
`SSI`	OFAC Sectoral Sanctions Identifications
`PLC`	OFAC Palestinian Legislative Council List
`CAP`	OFAC CAPTA List
`CCMC`	OFAC Communist Chinese Military Companies
`CMIC`	OFAC Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies
`FSE`	OFAC Foreign Sanctions Evaders
`DPL`	US BIS Denied Persons List
`EL`	US BIS Entity List
`MEU`	US BIS Military End User List
`DTC`	US State Dept — Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (Debarred)
`ISN`	US State Dept — Nonproliferation Sanctions
`US-DOS-CRS`	US State Dept — Cuba Restricted List
`FATF`	FATF Black and Grey Lists
`FBI`	FBI Most Wanted
`FINCEN`	FinCEN 311 Special Measures
`INTERPOL`	Interpol Red Notices
`PEP`	Politically Exposed Persons data

For authoritative definitions of each list, see sanctions.io’s data sources reference .

Supported tokens

Currently active: USDC.

Roadmap: USDT, DAI, WBTC. In private mode, these become Clean tokens (cUSDC, cUSDT, cDAI, cWBTC).

Fees

5% bridge fee on all transfers (hard cap at 10%)
Standard Ethereum L1 gas fees apply
L2 gas on Aztec is paid in FeeJuice; the bridge converts a portion of your deposit automatically

Networks

L1: Ethereum mainnet
L2: Aztec Mainnet Alpha (v4.3.0)
Public launch aligned with Aztec v5

Security

Audited by Nethermind Security (NM-0756, May 2026) — 1 critical, 2 high, 3 medium findings, all resolved before deployment.
Real ZK proofs enabled in production since 2026-05-29.
Aztec Mainnet Alpha is undergoing continuous audits + bug bounty; block times currently 6-72s at 1 TPS, with throughput improving toward Aztec v5.

FAQ

Can I bridge without verifying my identity?

No. Every deposit (public or private) requires either Proof of Clean Hands or a Human Passport attestation, plus a sanctions screening check. Public mode and private mode differ in what arrives on Aztec — transparent tokens in public mode, Clean tokens in private mode — not in identity requirements.

What is a “Clean” token?

Clean tokens (cUSDC, cDAI, etc.) are tokens that entered Aztec’s private layer through a compliance-gated bridge. The “Clean” designation means the holder was identity-screened before bridging. This gives applications and protocols regulatory defensibility when interacting with private assets.

How long does PoCH verification take?

About 5 minutes. You need a government-issued ID and a camera for the liveness check.

Does my PoCH expire?

Yes, after one year. You can start renewing at month 11.

What if my Passport score is below 20?

Passport-based bridging requires a score of 20 or above. To raise it, add more stamps at app.passport.xyz . For unlimited bridging without a score check, complete Proof of Clean Hands verification.

Is my personal data stored?

No PII is stored at rest by the bridge, Human Tech, or Aztec. Identity data transits KYC and sanctions screening providers during initial verification, then is discarded. On-chain identity verification uses zero-knowledge proofs — no personal data ever appears on a blockchain.

What wallets are supported?

MetaMask and any WalletConnect-compatible wallet. Silk (WaaP-powered) is also supported.

Is Shield on mainnet?

Yes — live on Aztec Mainnet Alpha (v4.3.0) since 2026-05-29 with real ZK proofs. Public launch (full marketing rollout) is aligned with Aztec v5. Aztec is currently in Alpha — block times 6-72s at 1 TPS, ongoing audits + bug bounty. Throughput improves with v5.

What do I need to get started?

You need Ethereum mainnet ETH for L1 gas and the token you want to bridge (currently USDC). The bridge converts a portion of your deposit to FeeJuice for L2 gas automatically.