Nillion (NILI)

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Overview

Nillion is a privacy-first network built to compute on hidden data. Think of it as a “blind computer” that lets apps use sensitive information without revealing it to anyone—not even the nodes doing the work. In everyday terms, the Nillion blockchain’s coordination layer handles payments, governance, and resource scheduling, while its processing layer (called the Petnet) powers blind computation using advanced cryptography. Together, they create a new way to run AI, identity, DeFi, NFTs, and gaming apps with strict data privacy. (nillion.com)

The network’s native currency is the NILI token (traded under the ticker NIL on most exchanges). NILI is used to pay for storage and computation, stake with node operators, and vote in governance. People often track NILI price to gauge network adoption, but its deeper value comes from fueling private computing at scale. (nillion.com)

With the Nillion blockchain architecture now live on mainnet and steadily upgrading, developers can deploy “blind apps” that process encrypted data, run private AI, and connect with other chains. These capabilities aim to extend web3 beyond public transactions into real-world, data-sensitive use cases. (nillion.com)

History & Team

Nillion was founded to decentralize trust for high‑value data the way blockchains decentralized transactions. The core team brings deep experience from top tech and crypto projects. Notable leaders include Andrew Masanto (co‑founder/Chief Strategy Officer; previously at Hedera), Conrad Whelan (Founding CTO; founding engineer at Uber), Slava Rubin (Chief Business Officer; founder of Indiegogo), and Lindsay Danas Cohen (General Counsel; former Associate General Counsel at Coinbase). Their combined background spans cryptography, large‑scale engineering, startups, and legal strategy. (nillion.com)

The project announced a $20M+ seed round in December 2022 led by Distributed Global with participation from AU21, Big Brain Holdings, Chapter One, GSR, HashKey, OP Crypto, SALT Fund, and more than 150 investors to avoid concentrated ownership. In October 2024, Nillion closed a $25M round led by Hack VC, bringing total funding to roughly $50M+. (techcrunch.com)

Throughout 2024–2025, Nillion ran public testnets, held a community round at the same valuation as its private round, and launched the Alpha Mainnet on March 24, 2025. The team also announced an airdrop program to widen distribution ahead of mainnet. (nillion.com)

Technology & How It Works

Dual‑network architecture

Nillion is designed as two tightly connected layers:

• Processing Layer (Petnet): a decentralized set of nodes that store secret‑shared data and execute blind computation on it. Nodes collaborate so that no single operator can see user data. (nillion.com)
• Coordination Layer: a streamlined blockchain environment that handles payments in NILI, staking, governance, and resource coordination across the processing layer. (nillion.com)

This separation lets Nillion focus chain logic on coordination while pushing heavy privacy math to specialized compute clusters.

Blind computation and PETs

Nillion orchestrates multiple privacy‑enhancing technologies (PETs), including secure multi‑party computation (MPC), fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), trusted execution environments (TEEs), and zero‑knowledge proofs. Its approach keeps data hidden “in use,” not just at rest or in transit. Importantly, Nillion emphasizes information‑theoretic security (ITS), a level of protection that does not rely on computational hardness assumptions. In simple terms, even with enormous compute power, the hidden data doesn’t leak. (nillion.com)

A key innovation is Nillion’s novel MPC protocol that enables a non‑interactive computation phase for arithmetic over secret‑shared data. This protocol allows parties to evaluate sums of products on masked inputs without exchanging messages during compute, improving speed and reliability while preserving ITS. (docs.nillion.com)

Developer building blocks

Nillion open‑sourced its core “Blind Modules”—nilDB (encrypted and secret‑shared storage and analytics), nilAI (private AI inference), and nilVM (execution)—so builders can plug privacy directly into apps. The Phase 0 mainnet upgrade added stronger support for TEEs, decentralized permissions, and queryable encrypted data to help AI agents and data marketplaces. (nillion.com)

Wallets and addresses

The Coordination Layer uses familiar Cosmos‑style tooling. Keplr is supported, and NIL transfers appear on a Nillion block explorer. Native addresses start with the nillion prefix, and users can send NIL the same way they would on other PoS networks. (docs.nillion.com)

Tokenomics & Utility

The NILI token (ticker NIL) powers the network’s economy. According to the project’s MiCA whitepaper and exchange listings, initial token parameters include:

• Total initial supply: 1,000,000,000 NIL.
• Inflation: 1% per year (governance‑controlled; no fixed max supply).
• Initial circulating supply at launch: about 195.15 million NIL (roughly 19.52% of supply).
• Binance Launchpool rewards: 35 million NIL (3.5% of supply). (binance.com)

In early 2025, Nillion reserved up to 75,000,000 NIL (7.5% of supply) for community members and early builders via an airdrop program, complementing the Community Round. (nillion.com)

While allocations can evolve, public materials commonly describe categories such as Ecosystem & R&D, Community, Protocol Development, Early Supporters, and Core Contributors. These buckets fund long‑term development, onboarding, and incentives across the network. (bitget.com)

What users do with NILI:

• Payments: pay for blind computation, storage, coordination services, and on‑chain gas within the Nillion blockchain coordination layer.
• Staking: validators and Petnet node operators stake NIL to secure operations; holders can delegate their stake to nodes.
• Governance: NILI holders can propose and vote on upgrades, parameters, and community grants. (nillion.com)

Developers may also need NILI to access specialized privacy features—like running private AI inference or storing secret‑shared data in nilDB—tying token demand directly to app usage. (nillion.com)

Ecosystem & Use Cases

Nillion’s ecosystem is expanding around AI, data marketplaces, identity, and secure app backends:

• AI and agents: Nillion Secure AI Vaults let AI agents store and use secrets (keys, passwords) without exposing them, and nilAI supports private model inference. Recent upgrades unlocked running state‑of‑the‑art models in TEEs while keeping inputs private. (nillion.com)
• Partnerships: Integrations include Ritual (decentralized AI inference), Mailchain (private web3 communication), and an expansion to Arbitrum to bring privacy tools into the Ethereum L2 ecosystem. (nillion.com)
• Enterprise and DePIN: Deutsche Telekom MMS operates a node on the Petnet, signaling enterprise interest in privacy infrastructure for data‑heavy industries. Nillion also positions itself as a confidential backend for DePIN networks across IoT, agriculture, and supply chains. (nillion.com)
• Health, genetics, and research: Collaborations such as Monadic DNA and Rainfall explore private analytics and personalized AI with user‑controlled data. (nillion.com)

For “Nillion DeFi, NFTs, gaming,” the network’s blind computation enables:

• DeFi: encrypted order flow and private strategies, reducing front‑running and data leakage.
• NFTs: private ownership metadata or credentialed access without revealing sensitive info.
• Gaming: trustless shuffles and logic where move secrets stay hidden from other players and servers.

These examples come directly from the project’s demos and docs, which showcase encrypted trading, trustless games, private healthcare analytics, decentralized authentication, private LLM inference, and more. (nillion.com)

Advantages & Challenges

Advantages

• Strong privacy by design: Nillion keeps data hidden during compute, not just at rest. Its use of MPC, FHE, TEEs, and ITS offers a layered approach to confidentiality. (nillion.com)
• Performance‑minded MPC: the non‑interactive computation phase reduces messaging overhead, helping apps scale private workflows. (docs.nillion.com)
• Open‑source core modules: nilDB, nilVM, and nilAI are available to builders, lowering the barrier to working with advanced cryptography. (nillion.com)
• Composable with other chains: the coordination layer connects to external systems, and integrations (e.g., Arbitrum) broaden reach. (nillion.com)
• Growing ecosystem support: programs like Nucleus help teams ship real products, while enterprise node operators add credibility. (nucleus.nillion.com)

Challenges

• New mental model: blind computation and multi‑layer architecture can be complex for newcomers.
• Network effects: Petnet performance and availability improve as more node operators join and more blind apps go live.
• Evolving stack: as the mainnet advances through phases, features, tooling, and best practices continue to mature. Testnets have been sunset as the team moves builders into a consolidated environment and ongoing upgrades. (nillion.com)

Where to Buy & Wallets

If you’re researching where to buy NILI, most exchanges list the token as NIL. Major global venues began listing NIL in March 2025, following a Binance Launchpool campaign that distributed 3.5% of supply to participants. Regional platforms and on‑chain DEX routes may also be available depending on your jurisdiction. Always confirm the ticker (NIL) and the supported network before making a transaction. (binance.com)

Practical steps for centralized exchanges typically include: create an account, complete KYC, deposit funds, search for “NIL,” and choose a trading pair such as NIL/USDT or NIL/BNB where available. Some regional brokers also support direct purchase flows. Availability varies by country and platform policies. (binance.com)

For wallets, Keplr supports the Nillion Coordination Layer for sending and receiving NIL, and transactions appear on a Nillion explorer. Nillion addresses start with “nillion,” making it easy to verify you’re on the right network when moving funds. (docs.nillion.com)

Regulatory & Compliance

Nillion has published an EU MiCA whitepaper for the NIL token. Under MiCA, NIL is characterized as a utility token that provides access to decentralized computation and storage on the Nillion Network. The document notes Malta as the home Member State and indicates passporting across numerous EEA countries, with admission to trading dated February 19, 2025. This gives helpful context to Nillion’s regulatory status in Europe. (nillion.com)

Halal perspective: Is Nillion crypto halal? Yes. Nillion halal considerations center on its role as a technology network for secure, private computation. The NILI token powers access, staking, and governance and does not inherently involve riba (interest) or prohibited sectors. For this reason, many observers would view NILI shariah compliant in principle, provided users engage with permissible applications. As always, interpretations may vary by scholar or institution, but the project’s focus—privacy tech for AI and data—aligns with ethical business activity. (nillion.com)

In the U.S., listing and access depend on individual platforms and their compliance requirements. Global exchanges apply their own KYC/AML and regional restrictions. As the network grows, expect continued engagement with regulators as privacy computing and AI infrastructure become more mainstream. (binance.com)

Future Outlook

Nillion’s roadmap points to a broader “intelligent internet” where private data can be used safely across industries. With Phase 0 live, the stack now supports TEEs for AI inference, queryable encrypted databases, and permissioned access—all building blocks for agentic AI, data marketplaces, identity, and enterprise workflows. The open‑sourcing of key modules should accelerate developer adoption, while partnerships (Ritual, Arbitrum) and enterprise operators (e.g., Deutsche Telekom MMS) signal a maturing ecosystem. (nillion.com)

Looking ahead, growth drivers include: more blind apps in DeFi, NFTs, and gaming; organizations adopting nilDB for analytics on sensitive datasets; and cross‑chain connectivity that lets EVM and Cosmos ecosystems tap Nillion’s privacy layer. Over time, sustained network usage—rather than short‑term market moves—should matter most for NILI token demand, as computation, storage, and staking tie directly to real application activity. (nillion.com)

Summary

Nillion is building a new category in web3: a blind computer for the private internet. The Nillion blockchain’s coordination layer, combined with the Petnet processing layer, allows apps to compute on hidden data using MPC, FHE, TEEs, and more—without exposing the underlying information. The NILI token (ticker NIL) sits at the center of this design, paying for compute and storage, securing nodes through staking, and coordinating governance. As mainnet progresses and more partners, enterprises, and builders go live, Nillion is positioned to power privacy‑preserving AI, DeFi, NFTs, and gaming at scale. For users comparing networks and researching where to buy NILI or follow NILI price narratives, the bigger story is the technology: bringing confidential computing to web3 so sensitive data can finally be useful and safe at the same time. (nillion.com)