EY launches EY Blockchain Privacy Sandbox to enable experimentation with privacy-preserving smart contracts on public blockchains

• The sandbox allows developers to build, test and validate proof-of-concept use cases using the public domain Starlight zero-knowledge proof compiler, without local setup.
• By lowering the technical barriers associated with zero-knowledge technology and enabling API-based integration, the sandbox helps organizations assess the feasibility of privacy-enabled applications before broader integration into enterprise systems.

The EY organization today announces the launch of the EY Blockchain Privacy Sandbox, a web-based development environment designed to help organizations and developers experiment with privacy-preserving smart contracts on public Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible blockchains.

Using Starlight, an open-source technology originally developed by the EY organization and put in the public domain, the EY Blockchain Privacy Sandbox allows developers to transform standard Solidity smart contracts into privacy-preserving applications while maintaining the original contract logic. The environment includes sample projects that can be explored, cloned and modified to accelerate proof-of-concept development.

The EY Blockchain Privacy Sandbox is designed specifically for experimentation and validation. It enables businesses to assess the feasibility of privacy-enabled smart contracts, test functionality and validate use cases before integrating Starlight into broader development workflows.

Interest in zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) continues to grow as organizations look for ways to leverage public blockchains while maintaining data confidentiality. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global ZKP market is projected to reach approximately $7.6 billion by 2033, underscoring accelerating enterprise adoption of privacy-preserving technologies.

However, implementing ZKP-based systems can require specialist expertise and complex tooling. By providing an accessible web-based environment, the EY Blockchain Privacy Sandbox lowers the barrier to entry for privacy experimentation on public blockchain infrastructure.

Clare Adelgren, EY Global Blockchain Leader, says:

“Organizations increasingly want to use public blockchains while protecting sensitive business data. The EY Blockchain Privacy Sandbox provides a practical environment to experiment with privacy-preserving smart contracts and validate use cases before committing to full-scale implementation. By removing the need for complex local setup, we are making privacy innovation more accessible.”

Starlight, the underlying ZKP compiler powering the sandbox, is open source and available via its public GitHub repository for developers who wish to integrate privacy capabilities into their own environments.

The EY Blockchain Privacy Sandbox is available now via request at blockchain.ey.com.

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