2026 is a critical milestone for Dusk Foundation. The countdown to the mainnet launch in Q1 has already begun, and the overall pace of ecosystem deployment is clearly accelerating.

The latest news is that the zero-trust custody solution jointly launched by Dusk and Cordial has officially gone live on the regulated securities exchange NPEX in the Netherlands. This is no small feat — it’s the first zero-trust custody solution implemented on a regulated platform, meaning the technology has moved from the lab into real trading scenarios. Through decentralized architecture, it eliminates third-party trust risks and provides both security and compliance guarantees for institutions to onboard assets. This solution addresses the core pain points for institutions interested in participating in RWA tokenization.

The mainnet launch is about more than just this. According to official plans, the mainnet will undergo comprehensive upgrades to core components such as DEX and cross-chain bridges. Notably, the testnet has validated 5.37 billion transactions, demonstrating sufficient data support for stability and throughput, and the mainnet will continue to optimize based on this foundation.

An even more exciting development is that the mainnet will deeply integrate Hedger privacy mechanisms and EVM compatibility. What does this mean? On one hand, the privacy of institutions’ asset transactions is protected; on the other hand, DApps from a major ecosystem can migrate relatively quickly. In simple terms, it’s "compliance without compromise, compatibility without discounts" — meeting regulatory requirements while also motivating developers and users to migrate.

In terms of ecosystem development, 36 supporting facilities have already been integrated, covering key areas such as payments, custody, and data services. As a result, from asset tokenization and compliance verification to circulation and trading, the entire chain has formed a closed loop. Many institutions are interested in this direction because RWA tokenization indeed offers market opportunities, but the thresholds for compliance and security are high — Dusk’s solution happens to address these pain points.

Honestly, this path from infrastructure building directly to scaled applications is rare in the crypto industry. While most projects are still discussing concepts, Dusk has already implemented in real scenarios. That’s also why the NPEX partnership is attracting attention — it validates the feasibility of zero-trust custody solutions in real trading environments, not just from a technical perspective.

As the mainnet approaches, subsequent ecosystem expansion is expected to accelerate. The 36 projects already integrated and the new collaborations underway are all preparing for the mainnet launch. For those interested in RWA and compliant tokenization, this is a development worth watching.