Ekubo, an automated market maker on Starknet, has introduced support for private swaps involving shielded tokens. This feature allows users to perform transactions without linking their identity or wallet history to the trade, utilizing the STRK20 privacy framework.
The process relies on a specialized intermediary called the ShieldedSwapRouter, which uses zero-knowledge and Merkle proofs to verify funds and authorization. The router integrates with Ekubo’s existing ILocker callback interface, enabling swaps within standard liquidity pools.
While the identity of the trader remains hidden, swap amounts and price impacts are still visible on-chain. The ShieldedSwapRouter imposes an additional fee of 30 basis points on top of standard Ekubo pool fees for this service.
The protocol, which accounts for approximately 60% of the total value locked in AMMs on Starknet, announced this capability on March 10, 2026. The first supported use case is strkBTC, a shielded version of Bitcoin.
The integration avoids liquidity fragmentation by routing private and public trades through the same pools. Ekubo’s core architecture, including its concentrated liquidity model and fee structure for public swaps, remains unchanged by this update.
