The additions bring Midnight’s network of federated node operators to four as institutions look to privacy-enhancing technology to unlock regulated, real-world markets
LONDON, FEBRUARY 17, 2026 — Midnight Foundation today announced that Blockdaemon and Shielded Technologies have signed on as federated node operators for the Midnight Network, the fourth-generation blockchain bringing rational privacy to Web3.
The additions bring the network to four, joining previously announced partners Google Cloud and NASDAQ listed company AlphaTON Capital, who is running a node on behalf of Telegram, as the network targets ten strategic launch partners to run, strengthen, and accelerate the network’s core infrastructure ahead of its mainnet launch in March.
Midnight’s mainnet is approaching at a moment when real-world assets represent the largest opportunity blockchain has yet to unlock, but moving them on-chain requires infrastructure that can satisfy compliance demands without exposing sensitive data. Midnight provides that foundation by allowing assets and transactions to be validated on-chain without making the underlying information public.
With four partners now confirmed and more to come, Midnight is set to launch with trusted infrastructure in place to ensure resilience, integrity, and performance of the network in its early stages, “Privacy-enhancing technology only matters if it’s backed by infrastructure that institutions can trust,” said Fahmi Syed, President of the Midnight Foundation.
“The additions of Blockdaemon and Shielded Technologies help to reinforce that trust across the
network, providing the stability and accountability required to introduce privacy on-chain responsibly, while establishing a clear path toward decentralisation”
As a trusted infrastructure provider for banks, custodians, and funds securing more than $110 billion in digital assets across 70 protocols, Blockdaemon‘s commitment to running a node on Midnight represents the next step in a broader strategic partnership focused on meeting growing client demand for privacy-enhancing decentralized infrastructure for regulated markets.
“Public blockchains expose transaction data by default by design, creating a compliance gap our clients cannot accept. Midnight gives our clients access to something that hasn’t existed in blockchain before – compliant privacy at the infrastructure level,” said Demetrios Skalkotos, Chief DeFi and Protocols Officer at Blockdaemon.
“Running one of Midnight’s nodes, in addition integrating Midnight into our platform, is critical to meeting the demand we’re seeing for privacy-enhancing capabilities that can be used in regulated, real-world environments, while ensuring that infrastructure is delivered responsibly as the network comes to market.”
Shielded Technologies, an engineering spinout from Input Output Group – a world-leading blockchain infrastructure and research engineering firm – is the core technology partner helping to develop Midnight’s privacy-enhancing protocol and will now also be helping to secure the network.
“At Shielded Technologies, we aren’t just developing Midnight’s protocol, we’re engineering the fundamental infrastructure that will unlock real-world participation. By leveraging advanced zero-knowledge cryptography and selective disclosure, we’ve developed a protocol that bridges the gap between data privacy and the ability to disclose specific information,” said Bob-Blessing-Hartly, CTO at Shielded Technologies.
“Transitioning from not only developing Midnight’s infrastructure, but now helping to run and secure it, reflects our confidence in the network’s readiness and our commitment to seeing this architecture operate at scale.”
Together with Google Cloud, who are also working with Midnight to drive innovation in securing and scaling zero-knowledge systems, and AlphaTON Capital, who recently announced plans to bring Midnight’s privacy-enhancing infrastructure to Telegram’s Cocoon AI, the expanded network brings complementary capabilities across infrastructure, protocol development, and market reach — setting the stage for deeper collaborations as Midnight moves from protocol development into regulated, real-world deployment.
The announcement follows Midnight founder and visionary Charles Hoskinson’s keynote at Consensus Hong Kong last week, where he confirmed that the network’s mainnet will launch in the final week of March.
The initial network of federated node operators will ensure decentralization, security and stability at launch, before the network transitions to full community-driven block production later in 2026. More partners are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
About Midnight Foundation
The Midnight Foundation is an organization dedicated to advancing the development, adoption, and real-world impact of the Midnight network, the privacy enhancing blockchain project developed by Shielded Technologies.
Designed for confidential smart contracts, Midnight enables censorship-resistant yet compliant decentralised applications. It leverages zero-knowledge proofs and a cooperative tokenomics architecture – with NIGHT as the utility token and DUST as the shielded capacity resource – to deliver a powerful combination of privacy, security, and decentralization.
About Blockdaemon
Blockdaemon is the institutional gateway to Web3, securing over $110B in digital assets for 400+ institutions, including exchanges, custodians, crypto platforms, and financial enterprises. We offer institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure spanning nodes, APIs, staking, MPC wallets and vaults.
Since 2017, our globally distributed infrastructure ensures unrivaled security, compliance, and scalability.
About Shielded Technologies
Shielded Technologies is an engineering company pioneering privacy-enhancing, decentralized technologies designed for real-world compatibility. A spinout from leading Web3 venture studio Input Output, Shielded brings deep cryptographic expertise as the core technology partner for the Midnight Network – a new blockchain that leverages advanced cryptographic proofs and a cooperative tokenomics design to protect data and metadata while ensuring auditability and compliance.
In collaboration with the Midnight Foundation, Shielded is shaping a global ecosystem that upholds the fundamental freedoms of association, commerce, and expression.
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- Domnic Chan
- dominic@ecologymedia.co.uk
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