Cardano Midnight Nears Mainnet Launch as Kukolu Phase Begins

Cardano’s privacy-focused blockchain network, Midnight, has transitioned into the Kukolu phase. This update marks a key milestone that enables real-world deployment of applications on a stable mainnet. The development is part of Midnight’s broader roadmap, which outlines three major phases throughout 2026.

According to the latest update from the development team, the Kukolu phase represents a “safe port” stage. It confirms that the network infrastructure is now stable enough to support real applications. Developers and partners are invited to build and test live products without concerns over system resets or operational instability.

🔥JUST IN: KŪKOLU – MIDNIGHT’S “SAFE PORT” PHASE IS HERE!

With $NIGHT token launched and liquidity firmly established, Kūkolu is the moon phase symbolizing development, strengthening, and building.🚀

This is the “safe port” from which the ecosystem’s privacy-enhancing DApps can… pic.twitter.com/aJsjuhWP9u

— midnightexplorer.com (@midnightexplr) January 1, 2026

Native Token NIGHT Now Fully Functional

With Kukolu underway, the Midnight ecosystem’s native token, NIGHT, is now usable across the network. Liquidity has reached a level where users can freely trade and carry out transactions. The economic layer of the blockchain is now active, allowing incentives to function as intended.

The recent transition also enables the use of NIGHT in a fully operational environment. This supports the network’s broader goal of combining privacy with utility.

Privacy-Centric Applications Ready for Deployment

The Midnight team confirmed that all deployed decentralized applications (dApps) will uphold privacy standards by default. These dApps are designed to protect user data while enabling confidential transactions and preserving anonymity.

The latest phase positions developers to begin testing privacy-first use cases directly with users. This new capability reflects a significant step forward in the broader adoption of secure blockchain services.

Despite launching in December 2025 with strong momentum, Midnight’s token has faced notable market challenges. After reaching an all-time high of $1.81, the price has dropped below $1. As of the time of writing, NIGHT trades at $0.08862, with a 4.6% increase over the past 24 hours.

Trading activity showed a slight recovery, with NIGHT rising from $0.08337 to a daily high of $0.0899. While technical indicators suggest a possible bullish trend, overall trading volume remains subdued.