Helius, a Solana infrastructure company, launched Privacy Rings on the Solana mainnet today, introducing a permissionless privacy protocol for blockchain applications. The system enables developers to integrate privacy features into new and existing Solana dApps through an API, supporting private payments, DeFi, and enterprise-compliant use cases. Privacy Rings function as programmable shielded pools where asset amounts are encrypted and stored on-chain while wallet addresses remain publicly visible. Users can decrypt their balances using viewing keys. The protocol supports SOL, SPL tokens, and Token-2022 tokens, with zero-knowledge proof verification completing in just a few hundred milliseconds. Core programs and ZK circuits have been audited by Certora, OtterSec, and ZK Security. A permissioned variant called Custom Rings, designed for institutional clients with compliance features including KYC whitelists, sanctions screening, and fund freezing capabilities, is currently under audit and expected to launch within weeks. Early integrations include Decrypt and Ore, while Backpack, DFlow, Jupiter, and Squads teams are integrating. Chainalysis and Elliptic provide wallet screening compliance support.