Midnight Expands Network as Worldpay Brings Global Payments Infrastructure On-Chain

• Midnight has announced Worldpay as the latest company to join the network as a federated node operator as the mainnet launch approaches.
• It also welcomed Bullish as an operator, revealing that the exchange will build Proof of Reserves on its zero-knowledge layer.

Midnight Network has welcomed two new global companies as federated node operators once it launches its mainnet: Worldpay and Bullish.

The Cardano sister network is set to launch its mainnet later this month, as we reported, after a successful testnet implementation that has created a $750 million NIGHT ecosystem. At launch, the network will operate with a curated set of trusted node operators to guarantee high uptime and a smooth transition to a fully decentralized network. As CNF has reported, Google Cloud and MoneyGram are among the two global giants set to operate federated nodes at launch.

Worldpay and Bullish are now joining this growing list, which also includes Blockdaemon, Shielded Technologies, eToro and Vodafone.

Midnight 🤝 @Worldpay_Global

The network of federated node operators continues to grow as @MidnightNtwrk moves toward mainnet.

Now part of one of the world’s largest merchant services providers, serving 6M+ merchants and processing $3.7T in payments annually across 175+… pic.twitter.com/69ze0wycQM

— Midnight Foundation (@midnightfdn) March 18, 2026

Worldpay is one of the world’s largest payment processors. Owned by Global Payments, it reported $3.7 trillion in payments last year, serving over 6 million merchants across 175 countries and handling 94 billion transactions.

As a node operator, Worldpay will explore the development of a stablecoin payment infrastructure built around $USDG, the USD-backed stablecoin issued by Paxos. Worldpay joined $USDG’s Global Dollar Network consortium in April last year and has been building merchant stablecoin settlement rails. According to Midnight, Worldpay will also explore how merchants can accept DeFi-style payments while still complying with AML and KYC requirements.

Bullish to Build Proof of Reserves on Midnight

Bullish Exchange will also operate a federated node, bringing institutional credibility to the Midnight Network. It was the second exchange to list publicly on US markets after Coinbase, with its IPO last year valuing it at $13 billion.

Bullish will develop Proof of Reserves on Midnight, enabling exchanges and regulators to verify solvency without revealing wallet addresses, transaction histories or counterparties. This, Bullish says, will set a new standard for transparent yet private reporting across the DeFi and centralized crypto ecosystems.

The crypto market was built on the founding principle of ‘don’t trust, verify,’ and Midnight’s zero-knowledge technology will enable its users to enforce this principle without compromising confidentiality, says Bullish President Chris Tyler. He added:

By building proof of reserves on Midnight’s privacy layer, Bullish can provide cryptographic verification of solvency that satisfies the rigorous standards institutional markets demand, without exposing sensitive underlying data that our customers expect us to protect.

Midnight says that it’s solving the single limitation that has hindered institutional DeFi adoption for Worldpay and Bullish: balancing transparency and privacy. This constraint goes beyond any single network: blockchain users must choose between chains that offer full visibility and little privacy, like Bitcoin, and privacy chains that hide all details, making it harder to comply with KYC and AML regulations, like Monero. Midnight is striking a balance, offering users programmable privacy at the base level.

Midnight Foundation President Fahmi Syed commented:

Worldpay and Bullish each bring capabilities that expand what is possible on Midnight from day one – compliant stablecoin payments and verifiable reserves. These are the partners who will help define what institutional DeFi looks like.