Starknet introduces STRK20, a new standard giving ERC-20 tokens private transfers and shielded balances with built-in compliance tools.
Starknet has unveiled STRK20, a new privacy standard for ERC-20 tokens on its network.
The protocol introduces shielded balances and private transfers at the token level. It runs on zero-knowledge proofs through the Starknet Privacy Pool. Users can now move assets privately without leaving their existing DeFi environment.
The announcement came via Starknet’s official social media channels.
STRK20 Targets a Long-Standing Gap in On-Chain Transparency
Starknet pointed out a core problem driving this launch. Trillions of dollars move on-chain every day in full public view.
Wallet addresses, transaction amounts, and counterparties are all visible. That level of exposure, the team argued, is a real barrier to wider blockchain adoption.
STRK20 addresses this directly. The standard works at the protocol level on Starknet. Any team can add the privacy capability to an ERC-20 by deploying on the network.
Users get shielded balances, private transfers, and the ability to move cleanly between private and public states.
Starknet described this model as “transaction-layer privacy.” In simple terms, ownership stays private while execution stays public. There is no fragmentation. Users stay within the same asset and the same pool throughout.
Related reading: Starknet Post-Mortem Details Execution Bug Behind Brief Mainnet Outage
Private DeFi Activity Goes Live From Day One on Starknet
STRK20 did not launch as a concept alone.
Starknet confirmed that anonymous swaps are already live on Ekubo Protocol. Anonymous staking for BTC and STRK is also active from the start. The ecosystem is reportedly exploring further DeFi use cases on top of the standard.
This makes STRK20 immediately functional across real financial activity.
Users can shield assets, hold private balances, transfer privately, and use DeFi tools without revealing their activity on-chain. When they need to go public, they can unshield at any time.
The scope of assets covered is broad. Starknet named private BTC, private stablecoin payments, and private ETH as clear targets. BTCFi, which involves Bitcoin inside DeFi protocols, is also a stated focus.
The team positioned STRK20 as infrastructure for privacy at scale.
1/ Privacy for Bitcoin… and for every ERC-20.
Introducing STRK20: a privacy capability that gives any ERC-20 confidential balances and private transfers, with compliance built in.
The market is now one click away from privacy on any token 🧵 pic.twitter.com/cwyu4R5tEh
— Starknet (Privacy x BTCFi arc) 🥷 (@Starknet) March 10, 2026
Built-In Compliance Features Address Regulatory Concerns
Privacy protocols often face questions about regulatory compliance.
Starknet addressed this in the STRK20 design from the beginning. The standard includes encrypted viewing keys that allow selective disclosure.
Users and institutions get privacy by default. However, they can share access to transaction data with auditors, regulators, or accountants when legally required.
Starknet described this as giving institutions “a real audit path when needed.” The design avoids forcing users to choose between privacy and compliance.
Starknet said full technical details and a deeper design breakdown will follow in the coming days. The launch positions STRK20 as a native privacy layer across all ERC-20 tokens on the network, not a separate tool or isolated silo.
