Apart from the technical setup, the vertical price action is the result of years of development finally meeting a favorable regulatory environment in Europe.
Fundamentally, here are other reasons DUSK price has outperformed the other privacy cryptos:
The Mainnet Launch (Jan 7, 2026): After six years of building, the Dusk mainnet officially went live one year ago. This moved the project from “theory” to a functional Layer 1 producing blocks with instant finality.
The DuskEVM Reveal: The team recently announced DuskEVM, a solution compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. This allows Ethereum developers to easily migrate dApps to Dusk to leverage its native, auditable privacy features.
The “Auditable Privacy” Breakthrough: CTO Hein Dauven recently clarified that while DUSK transfers are private by default, the protocol includes selective disclosure. Recipients can cryptographically prove payment sources, making the chain fully compliant with EU Travel Regulations and MiCA.
Founded in 2018, Dusk is a layer 1 blockchain designed for regulated and privacy-focused financial infrastructure. Through its modular architecture, Dusk provides the foundation for institutional-grade financial applications, compliant DeFi, and tokenized real-world assets, with privacy and auditability built in by design.
“Private by default, accountable when required. $DUSK shielded transfers hide sender/amount from the public, while the receiver can still verify (and cryptographically prove!) who paid them. That missing piece makes privacy on Dusk much more travel‑rule‑friendly and compliant,” Dauevn stated on Jan. 17
Real-World Asset (RWA) Integration: DUSK is now hosting tokenized securities in collaboration with the Dutch exchange . With over €300 million in assets planned for tokenization, the network is moving beyond speculation into institutional utility.
