Dusk is not a household name in the crypto circle, but its recent market movements have been quite remarkable. From $0.047 at the end of December to around $0.065 in mid-January, nearly a 50% increase stands out in this market environment. Interestingly, this rise is not just hype; it is backed by real technological breakthroughs and ecosystem development.

When it comes to privacy public chains, most people think of pioneers like Monero and Zcash. Dusk’s approach, however, takes a different path—it targets the tough nut of traditional finance. Assets like securities and bonds need to be on the blockchain, but privacy alone isn’t enough; regulators also need to be able to audit according to procedures. Striking this balance is tricky, but Dusk’s zero-knowledge proof solutions happen to find a breakthrough at this point.

The Hedger Alpha testnet launched in November last year exemplifies this design philosophy. Simply put, it can hide transactions and account balances on the Ethereum Virtual Machine while still leaving an audit trail for regulators. It may sound contradictory, but it relies on a selective disclosure mechanism—users hold the keys to their privacy, and compliance checks can still be performed when needed. This flexibility is rarely seen in mainstream DeFi protocols. Traditional liquidity mining or lending products are either fully transparent or operate in regulatory gray areas.

The price performance also validates the appeal of this technological narrative. It has increased by 13.67% over the past seven days, despite a pullback on January 14, but the overall trend indicates market recognition of this innovative direction.