Ault Capital Group has officially launched the public testnet for its new Layer 1 blockchain, Ault Blockchain, marking the protocol's first public release. The network is designed as an institutional-grade infrastructure for trading, settlement, and data-driven financial workloads.
Built on the Cosmos SDK with full Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, Ault Blockchain allows Ethereum-native smart contracts and developer tooling to run without modification. The network features fast finality and native cross-chain interoperability, positioning it for next-generation onchain finance applications.
The testnet provides a live environment for developers, infrastructure operators, and early network participants to evaluate core functionality, validator performance, and infrastructure design. The launch follows the completion of an initial protocol security audit and precedes further validator onboarding and ecosystem testing. The mainnet launch will occur only after additional testing milestones are met.
A key differentiator for Ault Blockchain is its token distribution model. In contrast to typical launch models, the project will not conduct a public token sale. Instead, the native AULT token will be distributed exclusively through a protocol-controlled emissions schedule tied to measurable network participation. This includes rewards for consensus security (via Proof-of-Stake validators and delegators) and licensed infrastructure operations, aiming to align economics with verifiable work rather than speculative activity.
The network is governed onchain by Ault DAO, a decentralized governance body created by Ault DAO, LLC, a Wyoming DAO LLC. The DAO oversees protocol rules, economic parameters, validator participation, and long-term upgrades.
Ault Blockchain introduces a licensed participation framework for infrastructure operators. Licensed Mining Nodes are authorized to perform defined off-chain services, starting with cryptographic randomness at launch. The project is supported by established infrastructure and development partners including B-Harvest (primary development partner), Xangle (explorer development), QuickNode (RPC infrastructure), and Protofire (Safe-related tooling).
Milton “Todd” Ault III, founder and executive chairman of Ault Capital Group, stated: "Ault Blockchain was built the opposite way most networks are built. We started with real financial use cases and then designed the blockchain to support them. Participation is based on defined roles and verifiable work, not speculation, with transparent economics that are meant to support long-term network health from day one."
Following the testnet launch, the core team will focus on its roadmap, which includes exploring the deployment of spot trading on decentralized exchanges, lending services, perpetuals trading, and other advanced financial workloads as the network evolves.
