Dusk, the privacy-focused public chain, has pulled off a major move today.

Founded in 2018, by January 2026, two major events will happen simultaneously: the official launch of DuskEVM mainnet and the release of the DuskTrade trading platform. From the moment these products are unveiled, it’s clear—they are not designed for retail investors but are targeting institutional users.

First, let’s talk about DuskEVM. Its biggest selling point is EVM compatibility. What does that mean? Traditional financial institutions like banks, asset management firms, and exchanges are already accustomed to developing with Solidity. Now, without changing their code, they can deploy applications directly on DuskEVM and immediately benefit from privacy protections. The migration cost is nearly zero, yet they can enjoy on-chain privacy features like default encryption and auditable transactions.

This move is particularly aggressive. Previously, compliant DeFi sounded high-end but was difficult for institutions to enter. Now, the landscape has changed—on-chain bond markets, private fund share trading, compliant derivatives platforms—scenarios once thought impossible on-chain are suddenly feasible.

As for DuskTrade, it’s more pragmatic. In partnership with the Dutch licensed exchange NPEX, it has introduced over €300 million in tokenized securities. What does this mean? The ecosystem now has a real asset anchor and genuine liquidity. Investors can trade around the clock with privacy protections, and small to medium enterprises have access to cheaper digital financing channels. Most importantly, the entire process complies with EU regulatory frameworks, thoroughly addressing the biggest concern of institutions—regulatory compliance.

In the first few months of 2026, signals are already very clear: multiple European financial institutions have announced testing of DuskEVM, and several DeFi protocols have started migration plans. You see, Dusk isn’t chasing retail hype; it’s focusing on truly valuable tracks—RWA, institutional-grade DeFi, and regulated-backed stablecoins.

Eight years of modular architecture design, zero-knowledge proof technology, and Hedger protocol accumulation have finally translated into tangible product strength. As more licensed partners join and asset classes expand, Dusk is becoming the preferred infrastructure for traditional finance to migrate on-chain.

In the era of regulation, some projects aim to disrupt the rules, but Dusk chooses a smarter path—using technology to make existing rules more efficiently executed on-chain. This "controlled privacy" model provides the most practical bridge.

In the next decade, whoever can capture the institutional market share will have already secured their position—Dusk has taken the lead.