[PRESS RELEASE – Zug, Switzerland, December 3rd, 2024]

Namada, the shielded asset hub enabling shielded cross-chain transactions, has officially published its genesis block, marking the launch of its mainnet. Along with the commencement of staking and governance, this marks the start of the first phase of Namada’s five stage decentralized mainnet rollout. This marks an important step forward, offering comprehensive data protection and selective disclosure across the multichain landscape.

Introducing Namada

Namada is designed to enable the protection of users’ personal data when using on-chain assets and engaging in cross-chain transactions. Its key innovation, the Multi-Asset Shielded Pool (MASP), can support the shielding of user data related to any asset, enabling shielded interactions across different blockchain networks. Namada enables selective disclosure, giving users the ability to share transaction data publicly and to specific parties. Additionally, Namada is introducing a unique shielding rewards system for users protecting their personal data.

“Namada’s mainnet is a major accomplishment for the many contributors and community members who have worked hard to take Namada from an early idea to a real, operational protocol,” said Christopher Goes, Namada cofounder. “Individual control of data and freedom of disclosure is necessary for a free society. We aren’t there yet, but the Namada mainnet is an important step in the right direction.”

The launch is fully decentralized, with the Anoma Foundation supporting the Namada ecosystem by proposing the mainnet candidate software and genesis balances. However, the Foundation abstains from running validators, ensuring that the Namada community retains full control over the platform’s launch and direction.

“Namada is an important missing link for the crypto space. Real adoption has been held back by the lack of user control over sensitive data,” said Namada cofounder Adrian Brink. “The goal of Namada is to gi