At the beginning of 2026, Dusk Network released two major announcements: the DuskEVM mainnet will officially launch in the second week of January, and DuskTrade is preparing to go live. These strategic moves indicate that Dusk is expanding from a purely privacy infrastructure layer to a complete ecosystem capable of supporting institutional-grade applications.

First, let's talk about DuskEVM. The core of this update is that it is a fully EVM-compatible application layer. For developers, this means they can write and deploy smart contracts directly using Solidity, while automatically benefiting from the security and privacy features provided by Dusk's underlying consensus. How significant is this design? Previously, organizations working on privacy applications faced a dilemma: either choose a privacy chain and modify their code, or keep their existing code but sacrifice privacy features. DuskEVM turns this into a multiple-choice question. Protocols within the Ethereum ecosystem such as DeFi, RWA, and stablecoins can theoretically migrate seamlessly, inheriting Dusk's privacy capabilities. A more detailed aspect involves the Hedger component—using zero-knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption to create private transactions. Transaction data remains opaque externally, but authorized regulators can access it for auditing. This solution has found a foothold in regulated financial scenarios.

Now, let's look at the story of DuskTrade. This is Dusk's first large-scale implementation of privacy technology. Backed by the licensed Dutch exchange NPEX, the partnership has tokenized over €300 million worth of traditional securities and moved them onto the blockchain. NPEX itself holds licenses such as MTF (Multilateral Trading Facility), Broker, and ECS, which means that the launch of DuskTrade is not just a technical showcase but is supported by a genuine regulatory framework.