Svmuu reported that Solana infrastructure company Helius has announced the acquisition of Light Protocol, whose team will refocus on developing privacy solutions for Solana.
Founded in 2021, Light Protocol initially focused on zero-knowledge proof-based privacy tools for Solana before pivoting to co-develop ZK Compression with Helius. Launched in 2024, this solution aims to reduce on-chain data storage costs on Solana via zero-knowledge proofs, supporting large-scale consumer and enterprise applications.
This acquisition will drive Light back to its original mission, combining its cryptographic expertise with Helius' infrastructure and distribution advantages to develop ZK privacy protocols for Solana, covering scenarios such as private payments and private DeFi. Helius plans to open up relevant privacy infrastructure to developers in the coming months.
The transaction occurs against a backdrop of accelerating consolidation in the crypto industry and tightening fundraising conditions, while also echoing a renewed demand for on-chain privacy. Helius founder Mert Mumtaz stated that privacy will be as fundamental to blockchain scaling as HTTPS was to the internet.