Stellar brings its optimized data protection technology to the mainnet with the X-Ray Protocol
- The Stellar Network is launching its “X-Ray” protocol upgrade in January 2026.
- It optimizes application data protection without compromising transparency.
Stellar’s “X-Ray” allows developers to build privacy-compliant apps without compromising platform transparency by leveraging zero-knowledge cryptography.
The announcement was made recently in onewho further explained that the upgrade will encourage the development of data protection applications that balance compliance and transparency.
The X-Ray protocol should come immediately after the turn of the year. The testnet vote is scheduled for January 7th, with the mainnet launch expected on January 22nd, 2026.
At Meridian 2025, Tomer Weller, Chief Product Officer of the Stellar Development Foundation, presented the company’s long-term data protection strategy. With this fundamental investment in privacy-focused projects, Stellar aims to enable the development of more sophisticated privacy applications.
The post says:
“X-Ray – named for the everyday tool used to show only what needs to be seen and nothing beyond that – represents the first major milestone in this plan.”
As part of the Stellar network’s ongoing collaborations and other expansion initiatives, the platform recently partnered with Templar Protocol, the first Cypher lending protocol. How CNF reportedthe collaboration focuses on improving multichain XLM and lending for RWA. The platform also cooperates with Chainlink.
X-Ray Unlocks ZK Potential on Stellar
The X-Ray upgrade will create new ZK opportunities on the Stellar network. It mainly supports two primitives: BN254 and Poseidon. BN254 is a popular pairing-friendly elliptic curve, and Poseidon includes a group of hash functions for ZK systems.
While BN254 connects the Stellar network to the broader ZK system, Poseidon addresses the key performance bottleneck. BN254 enables onchain verification of ZK-SNARK proofs and interoperability with existing ZK tools.
At the same time, Poseidon enables cryptographic hashes and reduces restrictions on proof generation. The upgrade will therefore allow developers to maintain consistent hash logic inside and outside the blockchain, without which no data protection applications on the platform would be possible.
It is noteworthy that this development comes on the heels of the expansion of the Stellar network in Europe. The presence in Germany was particularly consolidated through the acquisition of IROIN, a leading influencer marketing platform in the country. Additionally, Stellar has also partnered with Wirex to enable onchain VISA processing via USDC and EURC.
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