Mainnet launch in March
The moment everyone was waiting for happened on the Auros main stage at Consensus Hong Kong. Charles Hoskinson, CEO of Input Output, confirmed that Midnight mainnet will launch at the end of March 2026.
This milestone serves as the primary marker of the Kūkolu phase of the roadmap, which the network entered this month. Kūkolu represents a season of growth and cultivation, and is the culmination of years of rigorous engineering and collaboration between core developers, partners, and a huge range of ecosystem participants and community members.
Watch the Keynote: Charles Hoskinson outlines the Midnight roadmap and the necessity of smart compliance for real-world blockchain use.
For developers, the genesis block marks the transition to a production environment where they can deploy and scale live, privacy-enhancing applications. To support builders, the Aliit Fellowship and a network of ambassadors are providing engineering guidance and educational resources to ensure developers have the tools required to thrive.
Watch the Panel: Why privacy is no longer optional for participation and trust in regulated markets.
The launch also initiates the transition toward a federated network. Midnight will expand to encompass distinct federated node operators who will collectively operate the protocol under explicit rules for participation and coordination, ensuring the institutional-grade stability required for this phase of the roadmap.
Learn more about federated node operators.
Expanding the founder pipeline
On February 9, the Midnight Foundation hosted Privacy, Pitched in collaboration with HackQuest, an evening focused on the practical application of selective disclosure. The event demonstrated functional solutions to specific regulatory and operational hurdles in decentralized finance and identity management.
Nine participating teams presented projects that utilized Midnight’s zero-knowledge cryptography to validate facts without exposing raw data. These founders demonstrated how rational privacy serves as the essential bridge for institutional adoption, allowing builders to satisfy compliance requirements while protecting proprietary secrets.
This event illustrates the broader Midnight ecosystem expansion currently occurring on a global scale. By connecting founders, builders, and investors, the Midnight Foundation is cultivating a community dedicated to the successful deployment of rational privacy. These connections ensure that as the network matures, it functions as a definitive value multiplier for all participants in the ecosystem.
Hear more from the Midnight Foundation Ecosystem Team to learn how the Nightforce empowers leaders.
Midnight City
A centerpiece of the Consensus discussions was Midnight City, a persistent simulation that serves as a living laboratory for the network’s capabilities. Privacy-preserving technology is often invisible by design, and the Midnight City simulation renders the normally invisible logic of zero-knowledge proofs into a tangible, active, and constantly evolving environment.
Midnight City is populated by AI agents that act autonomously within their virtual world. By simulating a real-life network at scale, the city demonstrates the network’s ability to process an increasing volume of proofs as agent activity increases, proving that the underlying architecture is built for constant, real-world use.
Check out the trailer to see what’s coming at midnight.city, and to see a preview of the world in action that will be deployed to Midnight mainnet.
Boosting interoperability and liquidity
Two landmark announcements at Consensus Hong Kong will further redefine the ecosystem: the integration of LayerZero and the launch of USDCx on Cardano.
LayerZero is an omnichain messaging protocol connecting over 160 blockchains. As the single largest interoperability unlock in the ecosystem’s history, this partnership will provide Cardano and Midnight with direct access to over $80 billion in omnichain assets. For Midnight, this integration acts as a technical force multiplier, allowing selective disclosure and zero-knowledge proofs to extend across blockchain networks.
Complementing this connectivity is the arrival of USDCx, a regulatory-compliant stablecoin mirrored 1:1 with Circle’s USDC via the xReserve infrastructure. Launching on the Cardano mainnet by the end of February, USDCx addresses the historical liquidity gap in the ecosystem, providing the institutional-grade collateral necessary for sophisticated DeFi protocols.
The combination of LayerZero’s messaging rails and USDCx liquidity will create a robust environment for developers on Midnight mainnet. This integration will connect the privacy rails for the global economy with the industry’s most significant liquidity pools.
To understand the full scale of this interoperability strategy and how it supports a multichain future, read the full LayerZero announcement.
Connecting the dots
The philosophy behind these major announcements and developments was reinforced during the recent Midnight Japan Tour. Across five cities, global teams and local communities emphasized a holistic approach to ecosystem building. In Fukuoka, the network’s architecture was compared to the Shinkansen (Japan’s high-speed rail). Just as passengers rely on Japan’s rail infrastructure without needing to manage its underlying complexity, users of Midnight experience a system defined by mathematical predictability and high-assurance engineering.
By prioritizing high-assurance engineering and rational privacy, the transition to mainnet will deliver reliable infrastructure required for the global economy. As highlighted in the Midnight Japan Tour Recap blog, a diverse movement of developers, ambassadors, and technical stewards is now building the momentum towards the future of rational privacy on mainnet.
Learn more
Visit the blog regularly as we approach the late-March launch for technical deep dives, updated developer resources, and a continuous stream of ecosystem news.
Follow Midnight Network on X for a comprehensive look back at the Consensus Hong Kong discussions and real-time updates in the runup to mainnet.
To connect with the community today, join the conversation on Discord.