DuskEVM mainnet has been live for a week. What does this milestone signify? It marks the transition of the Dusk network from technical development to real-world application deployment. As a Layer 1 chain focused on compliant privacy, Dusk has been exploring the pain points of institutional-grade finance since 2018. Now, DuskEVM allows developers and institutions to directly deploy Solidity contracts while inherently providing privacy protection—this sounds simple, but the underlying technical challenges are not so easy to solve.

The real innovation lies in the Hedger privacy module. By combining zero-knowledge proofs with homomorphic encryption, on-chain transactions default to hiding amount and balance data, but users can selectively disclose key information to regulators. In other words, it protects business secrets without crossing regulatory red lines due to full privacy. This breaks the traditional blockchain dilemma—either full transparency for front-end operation or complete privacy that makes compliance impossible. Institutions can now handle truly sensitive financial data on-chain.

Ecosystem signals are already emerging. Within just a week of the mainnet launch, Ethereum-compatible development toolchains have achieved seamless integration, and early projects are focusing on privacy payments, compliant stablecoins, and RWA frameworks. $DUSK, as both the gas token and staking token, is experiencing rapid demand growth, with network security and governance participation also increasing.

Looking ahead to the upcoming DuskTrade platform, which is in partnership with the Dutch licensed exchange NPEX, scheduled to launch by 2026, it will bring over €300 million in tokenized securities. Users will be able to invest in traditional assets like stocks and bonds in a fully compliant environment, enjoying instant on-chain settlement and privacy protection. This is not just a technical demo but a clear signal that institutional funds are preparing to enter the space.

In the RWA track, most other projects are still operating within transparent chains or centralized custody frameworks. Dusk’s focus on compliant privacy truly sets it apart. As regulations are expected to tighten further by 2026, privacy will become a critical requirement for institutions going on-chain. The launch of DuskEVM hits right at this trend’s starting point. In the coming months, more licensed partners and applications will be rolled out, and the network effect is just around the corner.