@Dusk Network stands as a pioneering blockchain platform. It focuses on privacy and compliance in regulated financial markets. Founded in 2018 by Emanuele Francioni and his team the project aimed to bridge traditional finance with decentralized technology. After years of development Dusk's mainnet launched in early 2025 marking a significant milestone.
The rollout began on December 20, 2024 with the activation of the Mainnet Onramp contract. This allowed holders of ERC20 and BEP20 DUSK tokens to migrate assets to the native chain.
By December 29 early stakes were incorporated into the Genesis state. The network produced its first immutable block on January 7 2025 transitioning from testnets to full production.
At launch Dusk emphasized zero-knowledge proofs for private transactions. It introduced Piecrust VM a ZK-friendly virtual machine for general-purpose dApps.
The mainnet supported tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) like money market funds. It ensured MiCA compliance for European markets. Staking became available rewarding participants with high yields through Hyperstaking. The native token DUSK powered governance and transactions. Early adopters ran nodes to secure the network. This phase established Dusk as a Layer-1 blockchain tailored for institutional use.Post-launch Dusk evolved rapidly. In mid-2025 the team announced a shift to a multilayer architecture.
This modular design separated functions to enhance scalability and extensibility. The core became DuskDS a consensus data-availability and settlement layer. It integrated EIP-4844 Proto-Danksharding to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Above it DuskEVM emerged as an EVM-compatible execution environment. This allowed Solidity developers to deploy smart contracts seamlessly. DuskEVM inherited security from DuskDS while enabling scalable dApp execution.
The modular upgrades continued into late 2025. A DuskDS L1 upgrade in December enhanced data availability and performance.
It prepared the ground for full EVM compatibility. In 2026 Q1 brought a mainnet upgrade stabilizing decentralized exchanges and cross-chain bridges.
Further enhancements included Proto-Danksharding implementation splitting layers distinctly. DuskVM a Rust-based privacy layer is slated for release preserving confidential transactions.
These changes cut integration costs and timelines. They maintained Dusk's privacy edge. Developers now build compliant RWAs with ease. Tools like Zedger enable auditable zero-knowledge proofs. Lightspeed an EVM Layer-2 settles on Dusk for faster operations. Dusk Pay facilitates MiCA-aware payments.The evolution reflects Dusk's commitment to innovation. From a monolithic launch to a versatile modular stack the mainnet adapts to growing demands. It positions Dusk as a leader in privacy-focused finance. Future plans include more execution environments and ecosystem expansions. As adoption rises Dusk bridges DeFi with traditional assets securely.
