Midnight is a new privacy-enhancing blockchain network designed to overcome the limitations of traditional blockchains that expose all transaction data by default. It uses zero-knowledge cryptography and a novel tokenomics architecture to enable private, censorship-resistant, and regulation-ready decentralized applications.
Incubated as a project from Input | Output, the creators of Cardano, the Midnight network is building security and stability through innovative research and a flexible, composable, and comprehensive blockchain framework, while growing its ecosystem with strategic partnerships with the likes of Brave, Bitgo, and Blockchain.com.
Introducing Rational Privacy to Blockchain
Rational privacy is the idea that privacy shouldn’t be absolute or all-or-nothing—it should be contextual. It recognizes that in many real-world scenarios, users want to share some data to gain access to services or meet legal obligations, but they shouldn't be forced to give up all privacy and security in the process. It’s about striking a balance between personal control, usability, security, and regulatory compliance through features like Selective Disclosure, which enables users and developers to protect sensitive information by default, while still enabling the right level of transparency when it’s required.
When most online interactions leak metadata and therefore personal information, adoption stalls — especially in industries where privacy is critical. Midnight removes this barrier with a new cooperative tokenomics design, making it possible to build secure applications on a fully decentralized blockchain.
Privacy matters. And now it can be programmable on blockchain, by design.
Building Fair. Distributing Fair.
The mechanics of how a network rewards participation and manages resources directly shapes its adoption and longevity. The Midnight tokenomics whitepaper explores the network's novel token-resource model in detail, unpacks how NIGHT and DUST work together, explains the network's incentive framework, and outlines the initial token distribution strategy designed to foster a vibrant, decentralized ecosystem.
