Privacy takes centre stage in crypto as 2026 approaches

Privacy has re-emerged as a core priority for the crypto industry as institutional adoption accelerates.

Industry figures say public transaction ledgers are increasingly unsuitable for large corporate users.

Large companies don’t want to disclose the details of their business relationships.

Paul Brody said.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin highlighted privacy-focused, decentralised and open-source tools in November.

Buterin shared the recommendations during the Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress in Buenos Aires.

Privacy-focused operating system GrapheneOS was cited for reducing data leakage and enhancing user control.

GrapheneOS uses sandboxed applications and full encryption to protect sensitive information.

Private wallet Railway was highlighted for allowing confidential DeFi activity using zero-knowledge technology.

Railway supports multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Polygon and BNB Smart Chain.

Signal was identified as a preferred messaging app due to default end-to-end encryption.

Encrypted messaging, like Signal App, is critical for preserving our digital privacy.

Vitalik Buterin said.

Public wallet Rabby was noted alongside upcoming Ethereum Foundation privacy upgrades.

The Ethereum Foundation announced a new Privacy Cluster to embed privacy across the ecosystem.

Decentralised document platform dDocs was highlighted as a private alternative to Google Docs.

Analysts expect selective data sharing to become the default standard for crypto users in 2026.

At the time of reporting, Ethereum price was $2,974.30.