Dusk Foundation (launched in 2018) is one of the few Layer 1 projects that feels like it was designed for regulated finance from day one. I’m not just talking about speed or low fees — I’m talking about privacy plus compliance, which is exactly what institutions need.
Most blockchains make everything public, and that’s a major problem for real finance. Banks and regulated platforms can’t expose sensitive data like trading positions, client details, or asset ownership on-chain. Dusk solves this by building a privacy-preserving infrastructure where transactions can stay confidential, while still allowing auditability and regulatory verification when required. That combination is rare.
They’re also working with a modular architecture, meaning the chain acts like a flexible base layer. Developers can build institutional-grade applications such as compliant DeFi protocols, tokenized securities platforms, and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization systems — without sacrificing privacy.
How it’s used: projects can issue and manage financial assets on-chain, run private transactions, and still meet compliance standards.
The long-term goal is big: become the blockchain backbone for next-gen financial markets — where institutions actually feel safe participating. They’re not chasing hype. They’re building infrastructure.