A brand new layer-1 blockchain that emphasizes privacy and mining accessibility has officially launched with the debut of Tari mainnet.
Developed by a team of former Monero developers, Tari’s mainnet release follows the successful testnet introduction in September 2024, entering a competitive landscape alongside major players like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. However, Tari’s creators believe their platform offers a distinct approach.
“Our perspective is that existing blockchain networks lack essential components necessary for them to thrive as the foundation of a new global financial system,” shared Tari contributor Naveen Jain in an interview with Decrypt, pointing out the challenging user onboarding process and intrusive surveillance features present in other networks.
(Disclaimer: Tari contributor Naveen Jain is an investor in DASTAN, Decrypt’s parent company.)
Tari aims to address these shortcomings by offering what the developers claim is the simplest onboarding process in the crypto space, requiring just three steps to become a user on the blockchain. Additionally, Tari prioritizes confidentiality by default, automatically concealing transaction details and user addresses on-chain.
“By ensuring the confidentiality of transactions and balances, users are protected,” explained Jain. “No external parties can monitor, profile, or track their financial activities. User safety is a fundamental aspect of delivering a top-tier user experience.”
“For developers, working on a platform with inherent confidentiality means they have greater control over their user base,” he continued. “For end users, it’s about security and autonomy.”
While blockchain transparency is often praised, it can also pose risks if account balances are easily accessible, potentially attracting malicious attention. Physical attacks targeting digital asset holders have been increasing, with a database compiled by Jameson Lopp, co-founder and CTO of Bitcoin security firm Casa, highlighting 21 such incidents this year alone— including one in the past week.
“Surveillance-oriented blockchains create a scenario where anyone can view your financial information and entire transaction history,” Jain noted. “Why should users engage with a system that compromises their safety and doesn’t align with their expectations of financial systems outside the crypto realm?”
Since its testnet launch, Tari reports over 700,000 participants in its Tari airdrop initiative and nearly 100,000 testnet miners using the Tari Universe application. This Mac and Windows app enables users to participate in and visualize the proof-of-work mining process.
Upon launch, users can mine through Tari Universe, conduct transactions with the native XTM token, and earn rewards by inviting others to join the network. The future vision for the Tari ecosystem includes a diverse range of decentralized protocols and applications.
“As the Tari miner community expands and the native Tari layer-2 and app store roll out, we anticipate that developers will gravitate towards building innovative applications on Tari over other chains,” Jain shared with Decrypt.
“Tari’s objective is to reward users who contribute to network security, rather than bots, influencers, or airdrop hunters,” he added. “The network aims to empower users to enjoy a life of anonymous freedom. We reject the notion that the future financial landscape must resemble a dystopian reality like ‘1984’ or ‘Minority Report.’”
Edited by Andrew Hayward