← JournalExplainer · 6 min · Sep 16, 2026

What is Sanect? The privacy Layer 1 explained in plain terms

One page that answers the question directly: what Sanect is, what it is not, how the privacy works, and what is actually running today.

in brief6 min read

A direct definition of Sanect: an EVM Layer 1 with ~400 ms finality and a native zero-knowledge shielded pool usable from any EVM wallet, plus what runs today and what is unfinished.

  • Sanect is a Layer 1, not a rollup or mixer: Cosmos SDK and CometBFT consensus with EVM execution, mainnet chain ID 7628 since 22 June 2026.
  • Shielded transfers hide sender, receiver and amount with a Noir circuit on a universal SRS; keys derive from one signature of your existing wallet.
  • Live today: staking, shielded wallet, swap, order book, Ethereum bridge, .snct names, airdrop portal and explorer. Audit and validator recruitment are ongoing.

The one-paragraph answer

Sanect (also written Sanect Network or Sanect blockchain) is a privacy-first Layer 1 blockchain. It runs unmodified Ethereum smart contracts, produces a block roughly every 400 milliseconds with deterministic finality, and adds a native shielded pool so a transfer can hide its sender, receiver and amount behind a zero-knowledge proof. It works from the wallet you already have, such as MetaMask or Rabby, with no new seed phrase. Its native token is SNCT. Mainnet, chain ID 7628, has been live since 22 June 2026.

What Sanect is not

  • Not a Layer 2 or a rollup. It has its own validators and consensus.
  • Not a mixer or a bolt-on. The shielded pool is part of the chain from genesis.
  • Not privacy by default. Public transactions are normal EVM transactions; shielding is a choice per transfer.
  • Not a new virtual machine. Solidity, Hardhat, Foundry, ethers and viem work unchanged.

How it is built

Sanect is a dual stack. Consensus and staking come from Cosmos SDK with CometBFT, the same base as Cosmos Hub and Osmosis. Execution is the EVM through cosmos/evm. The two halves are joined by precompiles: Solidity code can call staking, governance and distribution at fixed addresses. A 50-validator active set, ranked by stake with unlimited registrations, produces blocks; stake is slashed 5% for double-signing and 0.01% for downtime.

How the privacy works

Shielded value lives as notes in a pool contract. Sending inside the pool means proving, in zero knowledge, that you own an unspent note and that the values balance, without revealing which note or how much. The proof is produced in the browser by a custom Noir circuit and verified on chain with UltraHonk. The proving system uses Barretenberg's universal reference string, so there is no per-circuit trusted-setup ceremony. Your viewing and spending keys are derived from a single signature of a fixed message with your existing wallet, which is why no second seed phrase exists.

What stays visible: the fact that a shielded transaction happened, and the address that paid gas to submit it. What is hidden inside the pool: sender, receiver, amount and the transaction graph. The privacy architecture page has the full model and the privacy modes page shows the four ways to send.

What you can do on it today

  • Stake SNCT to validators and vote on governance at app.sanect.com, and shield, send and unshield from the same app.
  • Swap on a Uniswap V2 fork with 15 bridged-asset pairs and farm four SNCT pools at swap.sanect.com.
  • Trade on a fully on-chain central limit order book at trade.sanect.com.
  • Bridge SNCT and 14 ERC-20s to and from Ethereum through Hyperlane.
  • Register a .snct name, bid in sealed auctions, and trade names at domain.sanect.com.
  • Track eligibility and points for the 300M SNCT airdrop at airdrop.sanect.com.
  • Explore blocks, addresses, validators and the shielded pool at scan.sanect.com.

The token

SNCT pays gas, is staked to secure the network, and votes in governance. There were 1,000,000,000 SNCT at genesis across ten published buckets with no venture-capital allocation; the largest is the 30% airdrop, paid in four phases with a 180-day vest each. Inflation adjusts between 7% and 20% toward a 67% bonded ratio, with a 2% community tax. Details are on the tokenomics page.

Where it stands, honestly

Mainnet is live and every product above runs on it. Two things are not finished: the external security audit is underway and not complete, and the validator set is still being recruited toward its 50-seat design. Both are stated on the security and validators pages and will be updated there before anywhere else.

Where to go next

Questions this answers3 · straight from the article
What is Sanect?

Sanect is a privacy-first Layer 1 blockchain that runs Ethereum smart contracts, finalises blocks in about 400 ms, and adds a native shielded pool for private transfers from any EVM wallet. Its token is SNCT.

Do I need a new wallet for Sanect?

No. MetaMask, Rabby and any EVM wallet work. Viewing and spending keys for shielded transfers are derived from one signature, so there is no second seed phrase.

Is Sanect mainnet live?

Yes. Mainnet chain ID 7628 launched on 22 June 2026, with staking, the shielded pool, a DEX, an order book, an Ethereum bridge and a name service running on it.

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