Aptos has launched a new feature that lets users keep their token balances and transaction amounts private, without hiding who is sending or receiving. Called Confidential APT, it is now live
Aptos has launched a new feature that lets users keep their token balances and transaction amounts private, without hiding who is sending or receiving. Called Confidential APT, it is now live on the Aptos mainnet.
Aptos is a layer-1 blockchain built for fast, low-cost, high-throughput transactions, often used for DeFi, payments, and tokenized real-world assets. Its native token is APT.
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On most public blockchains, anyone with a block explorer, a tool that lets you view onchain activity, can see every wallet's balance and every transaction amount.
Confidential APT changes that. According to Aptos, the feature encrypts how much a user holds and how much they send, keeping those figures invisible to outside observers.
Wallet addresses stay visible. The sender and receiver remain identifiable onchain, which Aptos says keeps a clear path to accountability and compliant use. In other words, the who is still public; only the how much is hidden.
Hiding amounts raises an obvious question: how does the network confirm a transaction is legitimate if it cannot see the numbers?
Aptos says the answer is zero-knowledge proofs, a cryptographic method that lets one party prove a statement is true without revealing the underlying data. These proofs verify that every transfer is valid, preventing double-spending or the creation of tokens out of thin air.
The feature is entirely optional. Users who prefer full transparency can keep operating exactly as they do now. Those who turn it on can also use selective disclosure, choosing to reveal balances or transaction details to trusted parties such as auditors or business partners.
Aptos frames the tool as a fit for compliance-sensitive cases like payroll, treasury management, and B2B settlement, where firms may not want salaries or payment sizes exposed publicly.
By offering optional, selective privacy rather than blanket anonymity, Aptos is positioning the feature as a way to court institutions that need confidentiality without abandoning a public blockchain.
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