Revolutionizing Privacy: Building a Custodian App with Zero-Knowledge Proofs on Midnight Network

January 17, 2026
Revolutionizing Privacy: Building a Custodian App with Zero-Knowledge Proofs on Midnight Network
  • Private state definitions specify types for AssetHolding, PersonalData, KYCDocuments, AccreditationData, and CustodianPrivateState, supported by factory and witness functions that derive proof inputs for selective-disclosure.

  • The project showcases a complete custodian contract with initialization, account management, deposit/withdraw flows, KYC/admin actions, and multiple selective-disclosure circuits covering balance thresholds, ranges, account tier, KYC level, accreditation, age verification, residency, and investment eligibility.

  • Conclusion and next steps outline a comprehensive blueprint and starter code to deploy a privacy-preserving custodian app with selective disclosure on Midnight, including real-world use cases and deployment patterns.

  • The article provides a thorough guide and code-focused overview for building a privacy-preserving custodian app using Midnight Network and selective disclosure via zero-knowledge proofs, detailing architecture, data flows, and practical implementation steps with prerequisites and code examples.

  • System architecture describes the interaction between client apps, Midnight Network with a public ledger, private state, ZK circuits, and verifiers, plus an auditor layer that validates proofs without accessing private data.

  • Practical considerations include unit tests, simulators, and admin functions for governance and compliance (freeze/unfreeze/close accounts, tier updates), emphasizing security in a custodial environment.

  • Step-by-step setup and project layout cover prerequisites (Node, npm, Docker), installing the Compact compiler, cloning a starter template, creating the custodian contract structure, and configuring frontend/backend files in a mono-repo.

  • Selective disclosure is the core concept, enabling custodians to prove claims about client assets using ZK proofs for thresholds, ranges, KYC status, accreditation, and other attributes without exposing underlying data.

  • A privacy-preserving custodian app is built around core components: a custodian contract to manage deposits and withdrawals, disclosure circuits to generate zero-knowledge proofs, on-chain verifier functions to validate proofs, and a credential registry for tracking verified attributes, with private witness data such as balances, holdings, personal data, KYC, and accreditation details kept off-chain.

  • Data flow guarantees that deposits update private state, proofs are generated off-chain via ZK circuits, and verifiers confirm proofs without revealing private data, ensuring privacy-preserving verification.

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