Приватность в блокчейне: ключ к эволюции криптоиндустрии к 2026 году Headline: Privacy in Blockchain: The Key to the Evolution of the Crypto Industry by 2026

Privacy is an essential attribute crucial for the evolution of global finance within the blockchain ecosystem, positioning itself as a primary protective barrier for the crypto industry by 2026. This insight comes from the blog of a16z crypto.

The authors of this publication note that, until recently, privacy was often seen as a secondary issue for most protocols. However, it has now emerged as a distinguishing feature that can set a project apart from its competitors.

«Privacy serves another critical function: it creates a ‘concentration effect on the chain’—a type of network effect stemming from anonymity,» the article states.

Experts further emphasized that while transferring assets between public blockchains has become a straightforward task, the «transfer of secrets» remains complicated, as moving between private and public environments risks exposing sensitive metadata.

In contrast to numerous indistinguishable new protocols likely to see transaction fees drop close to zero due to competition, anonymous projects will produce a «stronger light effect,» according to a16z.

«When users transact on public blockchains, they can easily engage with other chains. In contrast, in private networks, the choice of network matters significantly more because once users join one, they are less likely to switch to another. This creates an environment where the winner takes all,» the company emphasized.

With the rise of quantum technology and other cyber security threats, safeguarding user communications in messaging apps has become a pivotal focus, the blog authors assert.

Currently, the main challenge facing messaging services lies in their centralized server infrastructure and the excessive reliance on private companies.

«Such servers are easy targets for governments, which can shut them down, create backdoors, or compel them to provide personal data. […] Communication does not require a single intermediary company. What we need are open protocols that enable us to operate without trust,» the a16z team explained.

The path forward lies in decentralizing networks: eliminating private servers, quitting the need for standalone applications, and fostering open-source development.

According to the company’s experts, privacy should serve as a fundamental offering rather than an add-on to other products. This is particularly crucial for the financial sector and healthcare, where cryptographic assurances for personal data protection are necessary.

«We require ‘secrets as a service’: new technologies that provide programmable, built-in access rules for information, client-side encryption, and decentralized key management. […] All this must be governed within the blockchain,» the experts added.

A wave of exploits in 2025 revealed the limitations of the current audit-based security model, even for mature and well-tested protocols, noted a16z.

To achieve greater maturity, DeFi protection must evolve from merely identifying error patterns to analyzing properties at the design level—from a ‘maximum effort’ strategy to a ‘principled approach.’

Thus, global security properties will be formally defined and enforced both before and after blockchain deployment.

«Now, instead of assuming we will detect all errors, we will ensure compliance with key security properties directly within the code, automatically canceling any transactions that violate them,» the report’s authors concluded.

It’s worth noting that at the end of 2025, a16z identified prospective directions for the crypto market in 2026, with privacy being among them.