Privacy public chain Dusk achieved mainnet launch in early 2026, simultaneously releasing DuskEVM, backed by six years of technical accumulation. Rather than simply a project release, it is a practical answer to the question "Can privacy and compliance coexist?"

On the technical level, the core innovations are reflected in two aspects. First is the application of zero-knowledge proofs—transaction details are encrypted and hidden, but regulatory authorities can verify information in compliance when auditing. This is not an extreme approach of "privacy above all ignoring regulation," but a solution tailored for strict regulatory frameworks like European MiCA and MiFID II. Second is the Hedger mechanism, which integrates homomorphic encryption and ZK technology, enabling smart contracts to operate privately. This is crucial for the DeFi ecosystem—previously, large institutional players feared counterparties could see their positions, but this pain point has now been eliminated.

Real-world applications are already validating this solution. The regulated Dutch exchange NPEX, through integration with Chainlink's cross-chain bridging and data streams, tokenized real stock securities on-chain, reducing settlement speed from traditional T+2 to almost instant execution. This leap in efficiency is almost unimaginable in traditional finance.

Institutional participants now have new options: confidential lending, derivatives settlement operations, all without worrying about crossing regulatory red lines. Dusk's native token is used for gas and staking, with a smooth logic. The market response has been equally straightforward—since the mainnet announcement, the price quickly rose from lows, with a 24-hour increase once exceeding 60%. Of course, the crypto market is inherently volatile, but this wave of market activity reflects recognition of the new route combining privacy and compliance.