Pirate Chain monthly update | January 2026

Privacy is firmly back in the public conversation and zero-knowledge technology is gaining mainstream attention. This month’s update covers major progress on the unified wallet, Orchard development, network security updates, community-led funding initiatives, and a busy events calendar ahead.

Monthly update meeting

Unified Light Wallet: Major milestone reached

We’re building a single, flagship lite wallet for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and development on the Pirate Chain unified light wallet has passed its first major internal milestone. This new wallet consolidates desktop, Android, and iOS light wallets into a single shared codebase, dramatically improving maintainability, speed, and long-term usability. Øswald joined the monthly update call this month to give us the key progress so far:

• Sapling mainnet fully functional
• Orchard testnet already integrated in the wallet
• Significant sync-speed improvements using:
  • Batch trial decryption
  • Adaptive batch sizing (device-aware, fingerprint-safe)
  • Parallelized sync pipelines
  • Background transaction fetching
  • Shared block caching across multiple wallets
  • Bridge tree implementation for more efficient state updates
  • Multi-threaded decryption

The result: much faster, more reliable syncing, especially for users who don’t open their wallets daily. While there is no public release date yet, development is progressing steadily, and a beta phase will follow once testing is complete.

This unified wallet will also make it easier for third-party providers like Edge App and Komodo wallets to integrate Pirate Chain updates more quickly going forward.

Orchard Public Testnet Update

Work on the Orchard upgrade is nearing the public testing phase. The Orchard testnet will soon be available for anyone to download, test, stress, and attempt to break. Be sure to keep an eye on the Pirate Chain Discord for additional information about Pirate Chain's Orchard public testnet. Pirate Chain is a community project, and Orchard’s strength depends on community participation. This phase is critical:

• Developers, testers, and skeptics are all encouraged to participate
• Testnet mining, transactions, and performance feedback are essential
• The goal is to eliminate bugs before mainnet activation

Komodo Classic Update

Pirate Chain’s Delayed Proof-of-Work (dPoW) successfully transitioned to Komodo Classic following Komodo’s structural changes. The result for users is simple: nothing breaks, nothing weakens, and security remains intact. Once again, we'd like to remind you:

• Pirate Chain remains fully independent
• dPoW continues operating as before
• No impact on transactions or privacy
• Atomic swap infrastructure is being revived under Komodo Classic
• Komodo Classic maintains open-source development and decentralization values

Community Crowdfunding:

The Pirate Chain crowdfunding page remains live and transparent, with each campaign publishing a donation address and view key. There is also a Pirate Chain general donation address.

1. Subversive Spectrum (Sal the Agorist) Sponsorship

This community-led campaign remains open. Sal the Agorist has a weekly livestream on X at @SallyMayweather. Sal is already a genuine Pirate Chain supporter and privacy advocate. The sponsorship would fund recurring coverage rather than a one-off promotion. If you want to see it happen, we want your support.

2. ARRR on AnonBazaar Crowdfund

A new fundraiser has launched for ARRR on AnonBazaar, an multi-privacy coin online marketplace for buying and selling goods. Anonbazaar aims to be THE platform for freedom loving individuals to live off of each other peer to peer with digital cash. This would allow users to onboard through real economic activity, selling items or services instead of relying on exchanges.

Even small contributions matter; participation signals demand and helps guide development priorities.

AnonBazaar online marketplace ARRR donation address:

zs1m6t28gfep59dg84pvpqm7dx8w9jw4nk42acm8mt5c4llf2j9d5rr00w04l9gkqtpglttucvgl2l

AnonBazaar multisig Litecoin (LTC) donation address:

ltc1qrmtwjshqu2s53z63eetcgpn27c0umxvxh5t4lw7qvm77xzxu4n8sdjnn35

Third-party hardware wallet

A longtime community contributor, Warelock, is developing a Pirate Chain-only hardware wallet through the Zero Transaction History Alliance (ZTH). Preorders and donations are live on the ZTH Alliance Shop, and community support helps ensure this remains an open, auditable tool for self-custody.

Media & Upcoming Appearances

Monerotopia (Mexico City) | 12-15 February, 2026
Pirate Chain will be present at MoneroTopia in Mexico City with a booth, onboarding, and a panel appearance by Daniel J along with other privacy projects. Tickets are affordable, and the event attracts a privacy-focused audience.

Anarchapulco 2026 (Puerto Vallarta) | 15-20 February, 2026
Pirate Chain returns Anarchapulco in February at the Puerto Vallarta Convention Center. Daniel J will give a main stage presentation on Wednesday, 18 February with a deeper, more philosophical presentation focused on "sound money and privacy as a requirement, not a preference." See the Anarchapulco schedule for more details.
Use code PIRATE for 10% off (in-person or virtual tickets).

TCV Summit 2026 | 22 February, 2026

Pirate Chain will be one of the featured presentations at the one-day TCV Summit on Sunday, 22 February, live after Anarchapulco. Amy V will be presenting along with analysts such as Mr. X, Mr. Z, and Rafael LaVerde from The Crypto Vigilante. Other privacy projects will also be discussed.
Use code PIRATE for 10% off (in-person or virtual tickets).

Podcast Appearances
Additional appearances are in progress, including Monero-focused shows, helping bridge privacy-coin communities rather than separate them.

Daniel J was on the MoneroTopia Guest Segment on 17 January 2026 talking about Pirate Chain and the crowdfunding initiative to add ARRR to AnonBazaar.

Get involved

• Use ARRR
• Spend it
• Pay others with it
• Give it as a gift
• Introduce someone new

Privacy only matters if it’s used. Pirate Chain has delivered seven years of uncompromised privacy without VC funding, premine, or central control, and it keeps working because the community uses it.

In closing

Community Calls are on Sundays, 1 p.m. ET (open mic) on the Pirate Chain Discord, and monthly updates are on the second Monday each month.

Your privacy is your freedom. Let’s keep building it.

Article credits

☑️Krysler ☑️ AmyV ☑️ QuirkyRobots