Cardano Seals The Deal—Hoskinson Hails 'Exciting' Partnership

Cardano based project Midnight which aims to create a zero-knowledge data protection-based sidechain has teamed up with blockchain security heavyweight OpenZeppelin to introduce a specialized smart contract framework for privacy-preserving applications. The collaboration, lauded by Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, aims to equip developers with robust tools and standards for building data-protected applications across multiple chains.

On Wednesday, Hoskinson took to X to share his enthusiasm, stating, “I am very excited about this partnership.” Alongside his post, Hoskinson highlighted Midnight’s announcement: “Midnight and OpenZeppelin are introducing a new privacy-focused and compliant DeFi framework. This collaboration will bring a specialized smart contract library to bridge Compact with ERC standards and a starter pack of apps to support and inspire devs building on Midnight.”

OpenZeppelin, a major force in blockchain security and development, will build a dedicated smart contract library, introduce smart contract standards, and offer a starter pack of applications specifically tailored for the Midnight network. This initiative is designed to expand Midnight’s capabilities while integrating seamlessly with OpenZeppelin’s existing developer community on Ethereum and other blockchains.

A recognized leader in the blockchain space, OpenZeppelin’s frameworks are at the core of numerous decentralized applications, having facilitated the secure transfer of over $21 trillion in total value across multiple chains. By coupling its proven security approach with Midnight’s focus on privacy, the collaboration seeks to bolster trust in next-generation decentralized solutions.

OpenZeppelin will curate a specialized library for Compact, the TypeScript-based language behind Midnight’s privacy-centric applications. This includes Compact-equivalent implementations of widely used ERC standards like ERC20, ERC721, ERC1155, and ERC3643.

Jonathan Alexander, CTO at OpenZeppelin, underlined the strategic value of this initiative, remarking: “We are excited to partner up with Midnight to drive a new era of privacy-focused blockchain applications. At OpenZeppelin, we believe that privacy and data security are fundamental pillars of any advanced decentralized ecosystem.”

To further guide new developers in the Cardano ecosystem, OpenZeppelin plans to release an array of ready-to-use applications demonstrating best practices in DeFi, identity, NFT, and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization on Midnight. By providing foundational code examples, the partnership aims to reduce security risks and simplify the adoption of privacy technologies for both new and experienced developers.

One of the most significant aspects of the collaboration is Midnight’s data-protection framework, which seeks to extend beyond its own ecosystem and into the broader blockchain realm. By combining zero-knowledge technology with existing OpenZeppelin frameworks, developers on other networks can integrate privacy features without compromising on security or usability.

“Privacy is the cornerstone of innovation, which is why Midnight’s data and metadata protection capabilities will be key to unlocking DeFi, RWA, Medical, Gaming, and other business DApps,” noted Midnight CEO Eran Barak. “With OpenZeppelin’s instrumental support, we’re helping ecosystem developers create new DApps and elevate existing ones to offer data protection while ensuring compliance in today’s rapidly shifting landscape.”

The partnership will be explored in greater detail at an upcoming fireside event at ETHDenver on Friday, February 28th, featuring Jonathan Alexander of OpenZeppelin and Eran Barak of Midnight.

At press time, Cardano traded at $0.66.