Read this article on bsc.news Starknet's developer suite, @Starknet Starkzap, now supports STRK20 and Shadow Accounts, giving app builders new tools to add privacy features to mobile applicat
Starknet's developer suite, @Starknet Starkzap, now supports STRK20 and Shadow Accounts, giving app builders new tools to add privacy features to mobile applications and wallets. The SDK has reportedly passed 10,000 downloads. Engineers can use it to build shielded balances, confidential transactions and privacy-enabled DeFi transactions, with $STRK the network's native token.
STRK20 is a privacy framework built by StarkWare. According to Starknet's own blog, it brings shielded balances and private transfers to the network at the protocol level, and is accessed at the wallet level. The Block reported that the framework went live in June and allows developers to add private transaction flows without building a separate privacy stack. It also includes viewing keys intended to support legally binding disclosure requests.
Shadow Accounts build on that base. Crypto Briefing reported that Starknet and StarkWare unveiled them on October 13, 2026, as a feature that lets users interact with DeFi apps through separate addresses that are not linked on-chain to their main wallet. The accounts are funded from shielded STRK20 balances and are built to be per-dapp, according to the same report.
In practice, the pseudonymous accounts let users connect to existing liquidity pools while keeping their order flow separate from their wallet addresses. Onchain, a single public address reused across apps lets observers piece together a user's positions and trades, a problem Shadow Accounts are designed to address, according to @StarkWareLtd.
Starkzap's documentation describes two independent privacy protocols, the STRK20 privacy pool and Tongo. Per Starknet's docs, developers should choose STRK20 when they need to hide who is transacting, not just how much, because a relayer submits the transaction and the sender's address stays off-chain.
The documentation also lists limits. The STRK20 module in the SDK is a prerelease, and deposits to the privacy pool require access from StarkWare, with every deposit screened against sanctions lists through Elliptic, according to the Starkzap STRK20 documentation. The privacy pool also needs a private-key login, so some embedded-wallet signers are not supported.
The release adds to Starknet's push to make privacy a standard option for ERC-20 tokens, with compliance tooling built in. For developers, the pitch is that privacy can be added to existing apps without a full rebuild.
The Block: Starknet rolls out ZK privacy layer for ERC20 balances and transfers
Crypto Briefing: Starknet launches Shadow Accounts to keep DeFi wallets unlinkable
