Ernst & Young (EY) has made significant updates to its enterprise blockchain privacy solution, Nightfall, transitioning it into a zero-knowledge rollup model. This shift comes as corporate clients regain confidence in privacy tools following the easing of U.S. sanctions on Tornado Cash.
Previously, EY’s Nightfall operated as an optimistic rollup, requiring users to challenge potentially incorrect transactions, leading to delays in finality. The new zero-knowledge rollup design eliminates this challenge period, ensuring instant transaction finality.
Simplified network architecture
Paul Brody, EY’s global blockchain leader, emphasized that the removal of sanctions on Tornado Cash has helped businesses feel more comfortable using privacy-enhancing technologies. Nightfall now integrates identity verification mechanisms to prevent anonymous abuse, making it more attractive for legitimate enterprise use.
The updated Nightfall_4 source code simplifies the network’s architecture and enhances accessibility for users1. EY is also working toward a unified environment that supports payments, logic, and composability, with plans for Nightfall_5 already in motion.
Shogun Lin
