Midnight Network has published a new technical roadmap running to Q2 2027. The privacy-focused blockchain, backed by Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) and operating as @Midnig
Midnight Network has published a new technical roadmap running to Q2 2027. The privacy-focused blockchain, backed by Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) and operating as @MidnightNtwrk, is prioritising shielded tokens, private DeFi and staking for its native $NIGHT token.
Among the headline items are shielded token contracts that use zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. Midnight's roadmap says it will release independently audited token contracts in which balances and transfers are hidden from public view.
The roadmap also targets private DeFi. According to the same page, confidential financial infrastructure is intended to let developers and protocols put capital to work across trading, lending, collateral, liquidity and payments while keeping positions, strategies and transaction histories shielded. The project says solvency would remain provable without the balance being public. A private, global vault for collateral is listed for Q1 2027.
The roadmap also includes support for institutional key types. Midnight contracts are planned to verify approvals made with ed25519 and ECDSA P-256 keys, which are used by hardware security modules, passkeys and secure chips. The aim is to let institutions authorise transactions with key management systems their security teams have already vetted.
On the network side, German outlet Kryptorevolution reports that Midnight plans block production rewards in the current quarter. It adds that NIGHT staking and opening block production to the community are due in Q1 2027, alongside the start of a mainnet move to the BABE block production method.
$NIGHT is the network's native token. According to Midnight's developer documentation, it is transferable, used for staking and governance, and generates DUST over time. DUST is a shielded, non-transferable resource that the network consumes to pay transaction fees. The documentation also notes that NIGHT itself is unshielded, so its balances and transfers are public.
The roadmap follows a run of network upgrades. CoinMarketCap's project summary says the v8 release, dated 1 October 2026, added support for private smart contracts and private custom tokens, and that permissionless smart contracts went live on 2 October 2026. Midnight describes its approach as "rational privacy", where transaction details can be shielded using ZK proofs while still supporting audit needs.
Hoskinson unveiled the network as a Cardano partner chain, according to The Block. It runs its own ledger, consensus mechanism and smart contract environment, with links back to Cardano. Dates in the roadmap may change, and readers should check the official page for the latest timelines.
Midnight Technical RoadmapTokens on Midnight (official documentation)The Block: Cardano's Charles Hoskinson unveils privacy-preserving Midnight partner chain
