About Dusk
Dusk is the privacy blockchain for regulated finance.
It lets you launch and use markets where:
- Institutions can meet real regulatory requirements on‑chain
- Users get confidential balances and transfers instead of full public exposure
- Developers build with familiar EVM tools plus native privacy and compliance primitives
Dusk combines:
- Zero‑knowledge technology for confidentiality
- On‑chain compliance for MiCA / MiFID II / DLT Pilot Regime / GDPR‑style regimes
- Succinct Attestation, a PoS consensus protocol for fast, final settlement
- A modular architecture with DuskDS (data & settlement) and DuskEVM (EVM execution)
What is Dusk?
Most financial markets still run on opaque, centralized systems.
Dusk is built to move those workflows on‑chain without sacrificing:
- Regulatory compliance
- Counterparty privacy
- Execution speed and finality
On Dusk, institutions can issue and manage financial instruments while enforcing disclosure, KYC/AML, and reporting rules directly in the protocol.
In short: Dusk is a privacy-enabled, regulation-aware blockchain for institutional-grade finance.
Why Dusk?
Built for regulated markets
Dusk is designed around the needs of regulated financial institutions:
- Native support for compliant issuance of securities and RWAs
- Identity and permissioning primitives that let you differentiate between public and restricted flows
- On‑chain logic that can reflect real‑world obligations (eligibility, limits, reporting, etc.)
See: Core Values and Tokenization & Native Issuance.
Privacy by design, transparent when needed
Dusk uses zero‑knowledge proofs and dual transaction models (Phoenix and Moonlight) to let users choose between:
- Public transactions for transparent flows, and
- Shielded transactions for confidential balances and transfers,
with the ability to reveal information to authorized parties when required.
See: Cryptography and Transaction Models on Dusk.
Fast, final settlement
The Succinct Attestation consensus protocol is a proof‑of‑stake, committee‑based design:
- Deterministic finality once a block is ratified
- No user‑facing reorgs in normal operation
- Designed for high throughput and low‑latency settlement suitable for markets
For the full consensus specification, see Section 3 “Consensus mechanism” of the Dusk Whitepaper (2024).
Modular & EVM-friendly
Dusk separates settlement from execution, making it easier to match the right environment to each use case:
- DuskDS – consensus, data availability, settlement, and the privacy‑enabled transaction model
- DuskEVM – an Ethereum‑compatible execution layer where DUSK is the native gas token
- Native bridging between layers so assets can move where they’re most useful
See: Core Components and DuskEVM Developer Docs.
What can you build on Dusk?
Some example use cases Dusk was designed for:
Regulated digital securities
- Tokenized equity, debt, or funds with embedded compliance rules
- On‑chain corporate actions and transparent yet privacy‑respecting cap tables
Institutional DeFi
- Lending, AMMs, and structured products that must enforce KYC/AML
- Separation of public market signals from private position details
Payment & settlement rails
- Confidential payments between institutions
- Delivery‑versus‑payment (DvP) settlement of tokenized assets
Self‑sovereign identity & access control
- Permissioned venues where access is controlled via verifiable credentials
- Compliance checks enforced in smart contracts instead of manual back‑office processes
For more inspiration, see Dusk’s use cases and Additional Resources.
Architecture at a glance
Here’s how the main components fit together:
| Component | Role in the system | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| DuskDS | Settlement, consensus, data availability, and native transaction model | Core Components |
| DuskEVM | EVM execution environment where DUSK is the gas token | Deploy on DuskEVM |
| Rusk | Reference node implementation that runs Succinct Attestation | Run a node |
| Citadel | Identity & access primitives for compliant, permissioned flows | Core Components |
If you want a deeper technical dive, start with Cryptography or the Dusk Whitepaper.
Start building on Dusk
Choose how you want to get involved:
Looking for the details behind the narrative?
Head to Core Components, or the Tokenomics section next.