Is Blockchain Privacy a Trade-off? Scaling Confidential Payments on Stellar

The biggest challenge for institutions moving to blockchain isn't efficiency - it's privacy. How do you leverage a public ledger without exposing client data or competitive strategies to the world? In this episode of block block, Denelle Dixon sits down with the Stellar Development Foundation’s Chief Product Officer, Tomer Weller, to unpack the team’s strategy for configurable privacy. They explore why privacy and openness don’t have to be a trade-off and dive into the cutting-edge technology making private institutional payments a reality in 2026, including: Confidential Tokens vs. Privacy Pools: Understanding the different cryptographic models for securing balances and transactions. The Power of Zero-Knowledge (ZK): How ZK proofs allow for verifiable computation without revealing sensitive underlying data. A "Menu" of Compliance: How configurable privacy provides institutions with the administrative controls (like allowlists and view keys) needed to satisfy regulators. Live Tools on Stellar: A look at the new building blocks and partnerships (like Nethermind and OpenZeppelin) that are already open-sourcing privacy solutions on the network.