DuskEVM Mainnet Launch: A New Home for Compliant DeFi Developers
In the second week of January 2026, the DuskEVM mainnet officially launched, marking a significant leap for Dusk Network from privacy infrastructure to a complete application ecosystem. As an EVM-compatible layer, DuskEVM allows developers to directly use Solidity to write smart contracts and enjoy native compliance and privacy protection of Dusk Layer 1. This means that financial applications previously constrained by public visibility on Ethereum can now securely land on Dusk.
Traditional DeFi often struggles to attract institutional funds due to complete data transparency. DuskEVM addresses this challenge through zero-knowledge proofs: transaction details are hidden from the public, but compliant auditing paths always exist. Banks can issue on-chain loans, funds can create privacy yield pools, and enterprises can conduct confidential settlements—all operations comply with regulatory requirements without sacrificing user privacy.
The modular design of Dusk is key. The privacy layer is independent of the execution layer, ensuring high performance while maintaining compatibility. Gas fees are paid using the native token $DUSK , while also supporting governance participation. The migration cost for developers is extremely low, with many Solidity projects requiring only minor adjustments to go live on DuskEVM, enjoying lower fees and higher security.
The collaboration with DuskTrade further amplifies the value. DuskTrade will launch in 2026 as the first RWA application, bringing over 300 million euros worth of tokenized securities on-chain. Developers can build supporting tools on DuskEVM, such as liquidity pools, automated market making, or yield optimization strategies, making RWA trading more efficient and diverse.
The introduction of the Hedger protocol takes privacy a step further. The Alpha phase has supported confidential transactions and encrypted computations on EVM, suitable for highly sensitive financial scenarios. In the future, as Hedger iterates, DuskEVM will become the preferred platform for compliant DeFi.
Dusk is providing developers with a clear path: using familiar tools to build forward-looking compliant financial applications. This is not a simple on-chain copy, but a true bridge connecting TradFi and DeFi.
