Nocturne launches on mainnet, bringing private accounts to Ethereum

Privacy protocol Nocturne has deployed its v1 on the Ethereum mainnet, introducing the concept of on-chain private accounts to Ethereum.

The protocol functions as another account rather than a distinct tool or ecosystem, according to a statement. Unlike existing blockchain privacy tools, which often exist as separate entities, Nocturne integrates privacy directly into the account layer, functioning similarly to a smart contract wallet.

Nocturne is compatible with any DeFi protocol that represents state via output tokens, such as Uniswap swap tokens, Aave aTokens and Compound cTokens, the team said. It plans to extend this compatibility to a broader range of decentralized applications over time, creating private user accounts on Layer 1 and Layer 2 that are fully compatible with existing Ethereum accounts.

“With Nocturne v1's launch, we're moving away from the notion of a ‘privacy tool.’ Privacy should be embedded at the account layer and the v1 launch is the first step in making this possible,” Nocturne co-founder and CEO Luke Tchang said. “Our goal is to ensure that everyone, from individual users to large institutions, can transact securely without exposing their financial history to the world. This is more than a product; it's a commitment to making Etherereum more accessible and enabling secure and private money over the internet.”

Privacy by default

Built on the belief that blockchain privacy will only become mainstream if it’s integrated with the existing user experience, Nocturne’s long-term vision is to “make the experience so seamless that by default, every Ethereum user automatically has a private account which mirrors their public account,” the team said.

Nocturne v1 is currently accessible through a dedicated private UI, offering functionalities like deposits, transfers to burner addresses, and private swaps and staking. Its future plans include transitioning to a more permissionless protocol.