Public chains are facing two critical paths to capture market dominance right now:

First, construct use cases that genuinely generate revenue—where real value flows directly back into the chain's economy, creating sustainable incentives and growing the ecosystem from within.

Second, architect a comprehensive privacy layer across every meaningful application. This isn't just about anonymity; it's about enabling confidential transactions, private smart contracts, and shielded DeFi protocols that users actually demand.

What's interesting is how these reinforce each other. A layer2 solution like Starknet is positioning itself to execute both simultaneously in 2026. Privacy infrastructure dramatically lowers friction for enterprise adoption and institutional participation—which immediately amplifies revenue-generating possibilities. When users don't worry about transaction transparency, they're far more likely to deploy capital into yield strategies, trading venues, and financial primitives. Privacy essentially unlocks the commercial potential of the first strategy.