2026-01-18 19:22:20

The countdown to the mainnet launch of DuskEVM has begun, with the official team frequently making moves recently, and the community is voting on the preferred dApp types. Honestly, this moment is critical for Dusk — the project has mainly been working on the underlying technology before, and the application ecosystem has not yet truly taken off.

What is the biggest highlight of DuskEVM? Compatibility with the Ethereum toolchain is one aspect, but the key point is that a privacy layer is embedded at the core. Developers can write contracts in Solidity, and wallets can even use Metamask directly, but the transactions themselves come with zero-knowledge proof-based confidentiality. This design is clever, saving users and developers the learning curve, and reducing migration resistance.

Looking at practical applications, which projects need this the most? It starts with scenarios with the strongest privacy requirements. Lending platform users don’t want to expose their collateral ratios and borrowing limits to the entire network — this is unsolvable on public chains. Large traders on DEXs are even more afraid of being crawled and front-run. RWA platforms that want to bring traditional assets on-chain require both compliance and privacy — these pain points are simply unaddressable by traditional public chains.

There are signals in the ecosystem. Pieswap announced plans to issue $PIE tokens on Dusk, with plans to offer fee-sharing dividends. Although details haven’t been disclosed yet, it at least shows that someone is optimistic about this track. The most popular votes in the official poll are for lending protocols and stablecoins, which are indeed the foundational layers of DeFi — with them, other applications can be built on top.

But the reality is, now every public chain is competing in the ecosystem. Ethereum Layer 2 solutions are countless, and emerging public chains are also spending heavily to attract projects. Dusk relies on privacy and compliance to differentiate itself, but how large this demand pool really is remains to be seen by the market. Beautiful technology without users becomes self-satisfaction. Therefore, the first three months after the mainnet launch will be the true test — whether applications with actual users can run successfully, which will determine Dusk’s future trajectory.

DUSK85,64%

ETH-3,32%

DEFI-2,75%

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.

15 Likes

Reward
15
8
Repost
Share

Comment

0/400

SlowLearnerWang

· 6h ago

It's the same old tune of privacy + compliance, looks good on paper, but whether it can actually land with users remains to be seen. Wait, is Pieswap really coming? Haven't heard about this guy before... Honestly, I'm most afraid that the technical team will just get carried away, and only realize no one is using it after the mainnet goes live. Lending protocols are indeed a necessity, but with so many public chains doing this, why would Dusk win? Relying on privacy for differentiation is good, but the problem is, are users really willing to switch chains for privacy? I have my doubts. Let's see if there's any real application running within the first three months; otherwise, it's just another project that looks perfect technically but ends up dead.

View OriginalReply0

SudoRm-RfWallet/

· 8h ago

The built-in privacy layer is indeed thoughtful, but without a thriving ecosystem, it's all in vain. Pieswap's endorsement does carry some signal; let's see if a real application can emerge in three months. No matter how advanced the technology is, without users, it will still fail. The mainnet launch window is critical; all public chains are burning money. Is Dusk's differentiation enough to survive the competition? Zero-knowledge proofs have inherent advantages, but it's hard to say how big the market demand truly is.

View OriginalReply0

BackrowObserver

· 8h ago

Privacy layer is indeed impressive, but the ecosystem needs to take off to count. No matter how advanced the technology is, without application it’s useless. Just look at Pieswap’s actions to believe there is real demand. It would be awkward if no decent dApps are launched in the first three months. Let’s start with lending and stablecoins first; only after laying a solid foundation can we explore other things. Now there are so many L2 solutions, why would Dusk stand out from the crowd? The combination of zero-knowledge proofs and Ethereum toolchains is truly clever. Is the demand for privacy really that high? Honestly, I have some doubts. Differentiation makes it easier to break through, but maintaining growth is the real challenge. If there’s no progress two months after mainnet launch, I should consider leaving. RWA definitely needs privacy, but user awareness is still far behind. Whether Dusk can succeed depends on whether leading projects are willing to migrate over. Community voting for lending protocols shows that everyone thinks the same way, right? Currently, Pieswap is the only signal, but that’s not enough. Front-running and data scraping issues on DEXs are indeed painful; privacy public chains should focus on this. The verification period in the first three months was spot on; this is truly a life-and-death situation.

View OriginalReply0

liquidation_watcher

· 8h ago

The mainnet hasn't even launched yet, and you're already voting for dApps. This pattern feels a bit familiar... Pieswap joining the fun, but I don't know if it's because they genuinely believe in it or just trying to get a head start. The combination of privacy + Metamask is indeed clever, but the question is, how many people truly care about privacy? Lending and stablecoins sound good, but honestly, I remain skeptical about applications with real users emerging. You can tell within the first three months; otherwise, it might just turn into another technical showcase. It feels like another path similar to Monero... perfect technology, but few users. The concern that large traders might rush to front-run is real, but how many will actually use Dusk for that? Wait, will Pieswap really survive in the Dusk ecosystem, or will it just become another tool for harvesting users? If privacy is such a strong demand, why isn't anyone using Monero? Ultimately, it comes down to where the users are. The combination of compliance + privacy sounds like a dream—can it really be achieved simultaneously?

View OriginalReply0

UncommonNPC

· 8h ago

Can real user applications appear within the first three months of mainnet launch? That's the true test for Dusk. It's the same old pattern of strong technology but weak ecosystem. The privacy demand is real, but whether the user base can keep up remains the suspense. Pieswap's endorsement at least indicates it's not completely dead, but when will the foundational infrastructure like lending and stablecoins go live? That's the key.

View OriginalReply0

MysteryBoxAddict

· 8h ago

No matter how beautiful the technology is, without an ecosystem, it's just a display. We'll see in these three months whether Dusk can truly break out. The signal from Pieswap still isn't solid enough; it depends on whether it can attract top projects to participate. Privacy needs do exist, but there are too many public chains competing to grab ecosystems. How Dusk can stand out is the real question. Speaking of the compliance + privacy combo, if the RWA track can be utilized effectively, it definitely has potential. The design of built-in privacy through zero-knowledge proofs is quite impressive; I like that the learning curve is low. The mainnet launch countdown is on, just waiting to see if this will be another project that’s all talk and no action. The DeFi foundational idea of lending + stablecoins is solid, but the competition has already built a high wall. It feels like Dusk’s differentiation is still too niche; can the actual demand pool support the ecosystem? Oh my, another new public chain focused on privacy. This track is really competitive; it depends on who can survive.

View OriginalReply0

MetaMuskRat

· 8h ago

Lending and stablecoins are really the foundational layer, but the question is whether they can attract top projects to get involved. Dusk's privacy design is indeed clever, but the issue remains the ecosystem's cold start. Can the burn rate keep up? Honestly, it all depends on the performance of the mainnet in the next three months; otherwise, even the best technology is useless. Privacy needs do exist, but how big the market is really hard to say. We need user data to verify. Pieswap's signal isn't strong enough yet; more heavyweight projects need to follow up. Compatibility with Ethereum in the tech stack is a plus, but with such fierce ecosystem competition, is that enough? Ultimately, it depends on whether actual users are willing to use it; otherwise, it's no different from other public chains.

View OriginalReply0

VitalikFanAccount

· 8h ago

The built-in design of the privacy layer is indeed innovative, but whether Dusk can truly break through depends on what the ecosystem can develop. Pieswap is a good addition, but the concern is whether others will follow suit later. It will be clear three months after the mainnet launch; by then, we hope it won't be another situation where the technology is perfect but user adoption is scarce. Lending and stablecoins are fundamental, but the problem is that these applications are already saturated in the ETH ecosystem. Why would Dusk attract new users? The demand for privacy is real, but how many major users are truly willing to use it? That’s the key.

View OriginalReply0