Founded in 2018, Dusk has taken a path that many projects haven't—seamlessly stitching together the inherently conflicting concepts of privacy and regulation. This Layer 1 blockchain project isn't simply choosing sides; instead, it uses a modular architecture to deeply integrate both, paving the way for institutions, DeFi protocols, and even real-world asset tokenization.

The key turning point occurred in the second week of January 2026. The official launch of the DuskEVM mainnet marked the project's transition from laying foundations to an era of application explosion. This EVM-compatible application layer offers a practical benefit: developers don't need to learn a new language; they can deploy dApps directly using standard Solidity contracts, and these applications are seamlessly anchored to Dusk's Layer 1 settlement layer. For institutions and developers, the integration threshold drops significantly, enabling faster development of compliant DeFi and RWA applications.

Most notably, Dusk has implemented the Hedger module on this chain. This component uses zero-knowledge proofs and selective disclosure techniques to keep transactions private while allowing regulatory authorities to perform audits when necessary. This approach is completely different from many privacy coins' "all-or-nothing anonymity"; Dusk pursues "controllable privacy"—users retain transaction privacy, while regulators have auditing capabilities. What does this mean in practice? Compliance agencies can use this chain, traditional finance can accept this chain, and this balance point is truly scarce.