Matter Labs has released the core software of Prividium as open source, allowing financial institutions to run the privacy-focused blockchain platform from public code. The company also said Deutsche Bundesbank is the first institution to deploy the system in its own infrastructure, though the central bank has not commented on the setup or its purpose.
The move broadens access to a platform built for institutions that want blockchain-based systems without exposing transaction details on public networks. At the same time, Matter Labs is positioning the release as an early step, arguing that the more difficult task will be enabling separate institutional chains to interoperate with one another and with public markets.
What has been released
According to Matter Labs, the newly open-sourced component is the Prividium engine that manages roles and access rights on a chain, determining who can read data and who can submit updates. Because much of the broader ZKsync technology stack was already open source, the release means institutions can now set up a permissioned Prividium chain without needing a commercial agreement for the core software.
Matter Labs is still keeping some parts of the offering as paid products. Those include the administration console, user access tools and connectors used for integrations such as links to core banking systems.
How Prividium is designed to work
Prividium is intended to keep sensitive transaction information inside the institution running the system. Rather than publishing that underlying data externally, the platform outputs a cryptographic proof that the ledger was updated correctly, and that proof is then recorded on Ethereum or another compatible blockchain.
That approach is meant to combine institutional privacy requirements with external verification. In practice, the internal ledger data stays within the organization’s environment, while a proof provides confirmation of valid state changes outside it.
Bundesbank deployment remains undisclosed
Matter Labs said Bundesbank has deployed Prividium in a self-hosted configuration, with smart contract and token data remaining inside the central bank’s own environment. The company added that the two sides are working together on design and testing.
Beyond that, little has been made public. Bundesbank has not commented, and the purpose of the test deployment has not been disclosed, leaving open what use case is being explored and how far the work may progress.
Previous institutional work and the next challenge
Matter Labs pointed to earlier institutional use of related technology. Deutsche Bank’s DAMA 2 tokenized fund project and a UBS proof of concept for a digital gold product both used ZKsync. Cari Network has also adopted Prividium for tokenized deposits, a case where the connector to core banking systems is a key element.
The company described the open-source release as a starting point rather than a completed institutional stack. Its stated next hurdle is interoperability: how separately run chains operated by individual institutions can connect to each other, and how those systems can also interact with public markets using the same underlying model.
Source: www.ledgerinsights.com