--- title: "Private blockchain development: when it makes sense and which company to hire" url: "https://www.unknowngravity.com/en/mejores-empresas/empresa-desarrollar-blockchain-privada" site: Unknown Gravity published: "2026-06-23T14:55:53+00:00" modified: "2026-10-15T23:30:29+00:00" language: en description: When a private blockchain pays off, Hyperledger Fabric vs. Besu, how node governance works, and the providers whose registration and work we checked. section: "Home > Company rankings > Private blockchain development: when it makes sense and which company to hire" --- # Private blockchain development: when it makes sense and which company to hire BEST COMPANIES · PRIVATE BLOCKCHAIN Checked on October 14, 2026: Unknown Gravity, which publishes this page, ioBuilders and LimeChain. A provider is listed only if custom blockchain development for clients is its core business, it is on an official business register and its website describes a project on a private or restricted-access network with the client or partners named. | Company | What it does | Registration checked | Based in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Unknown Gravity | Permissioned networks on Hyperledger Fabric and Besu | [Commercial Register of Málaga, sheet MA-177027](https://www.boe.es/borme/dias/2023/10/18/pdfs/BORME-A-2023-199-29.pdf) | Málaga (Spain) | | ioBuilders | Interbank tokenized deposits on a restricted-access network | [Commercial Register of Madrid, sheet M-672495](https://www.boe.es/borme/dias/2026/08/19/pdfs/BORME-A-2026-159-28.pdf) | Madrid (Spain) | | LimeChain | Protocol engineering and Rayls, built with Parfin | [Bulgarian Commercial Register, EIK 204318511](https://portal.registryagency.bg/CR/en/Reports/ActiveConditionTabResult?uic=204318511) | Sofia (Bulgaria) | **Yes, you can hire a company to build a private blockchain, but it only pays off when several independent organizations must write to the same ledger and none of them will accept another one controlling the server.** If the data belongs to a single organization, a database with an audit log usually solves the same problem with fewer moving parts to run. This guide explains when a private or permissioned network makes sense, which technology to choose, how nodes are governed and what you pay for. **How we chose the providers.** Besides Unknown Gravity, which publishes this page and appears first without being assessed against the criteria, a company is listed only if it meets three conditions, each backed by a source we opened on October 14, 2026: (1) according to its own website, custom blockchain development for clients is its core business; (2) the company is on an official business register; (3) its website describes a project on a private or restricted-access network with the client or partners named. We do not use figures reported by the companies themselves or third-party rankings. The numbering is not a quality ranking. ## Unknown Gravity: permissioned networks on Hyperledger Fabric and Besu Unknown Gravity is a technology company based in Málaga, Spain, and the publisher of this page. According to its [private blockchain](/en/servicios/blockchain-privadas) service page, it designs and deploys permissioned networks for consortia on Hyperledger Fabric or Besu, and delivers the architecture and data model, the governance agreement with the roles and permissions matrix, infrastructure as code for nodes and certificate authorities, and chaincode or smart contracts with tests and a security audit before production. It can also run the network afterward as [blockchain as a service](/en/servicios/blockchain-como-servicio-baas). - **Where it operates:** from Málaga, Spain. - **Registration:** Unknown Gravity, S.L., Commercial Register of Málaga, sheet MA-177027; its incorporation was published in the [BORME of October 18, 2023](https://www.boe.es/borme/dias/2023/10/18/pdfs/BORME-A-2023-199-29.pdf). - **Ecosystem:** it is a member of Alastria, according to the [announcement the association published in January 2025](https://alastria.io/en/unknown-gravity-joins-alastria/). **Where it fits:** several organizations share the ledger and you want the network, the code and the governance rules documented and in your name. **Where it does not:** the data belongs only to your company; in that case, its own service page recommends considering a database with an audit trail first. ## ioBuilders: interbank tokenized deposits on a restricted-access network According to its website, ioBuilders combines proprietary products with tailored solutions to issue, register, trade and manage tokenized financial instruments and digital money. Its tokenization platform is called Asseto. - **Where it operates:** from Madrid, Spain. - **Registration checked:** Iobuilders Blockchain Tech & Ventures, S.L., Commercial Register of Madrid, sheet M-672495; the [BORME of August 19, 2026](https://www.boe.es/borme/dias/2026/08/19/pdfs/BORME-A-2026-159-28.pdf) publishes its latest change of registered office, to Paseo de la Castellana 140, Madrid. - **Project on a restricted-access network:** [Cecabank's tokenized deposits proof of concept](https://io.builders/blockchain-use-cases/tokenized-deposit) with ABANCA, Ibercaja, Kutxabank and Unicaja. According to the case page, it ran on a restricted-access DLT network (HashSphere, built on Hedera's consensus) and on Asseto, with Cecabank as the integrating entity and a separate entity on the platform for each bank, so that no bank could see the others' information. **Where it fits:** you are a financial institution and the shared ledger holds tokenized money or financial instruments across several institutions. ## LimeChain: protocol engineering and Rayls, built with Parfin LimeChain presents itself as a blockchain consulting and development company. According to its website, it builds the consensus, execution, networking and client layers of a blockchain, as well as developer tools, smart contracts and full products. - **Where it operates:** from Sofia, Bulgaria. - **Registration checked:** Lime Labs EOOD, on the [Bulgarian Commercial Register](https://portal.registryagency.bg/CR/en/Reports/ActiveConditionTabResult?uic=204318511) under EIK number 204318511, with its registered office in Sofia. - **Permissioned network project:** according to the [Parfin case study](https://limechain.tech/clients/parfin) on its website, Rayls came out of its partnership with that digital asset infrastructure company. The case study describes Rayls as an EVM blockchain system that unifies permissioned and public blockchains, designed for financial institutions to tokenize instruments, settle transactions and make cross-border payments. **Where it fits:** your network needs work at the protocol or client level, not just smart contracts on an existing platform. ## When a private blockchain makes sense, and when it does not A private or permissioned blockchain is a network in which every participant is identified and someone decides who joins, who validates and what each party can see (more in [the differences between public and private blockchains](/en/articulos/las-diferencias-entre-blockchain-publica-y-privada)). It adds value when several of these conditions hold at the same time: - Several independent organizations write to the same ledger and none of them accepts another one owning the server. - Every entry must be signed by whoever makes it, and nobody should be able to rewrite it without leaving a trace. - Some data must be visible only to some of the parties. - Today the same information is reconciled by hand across several systems, with the cost and disputes that brings. If they do not, there is usually a simpler option: | Situation | Option that is usually enough | | --- | --- | | A single organization owns the data | A database with an audit log and signed events | | Several organizations write and none will give up control | A permissioned consortium network | | An asset must move only among verified investors | A public network with a token that restricts transfers, such as [ERC-3643](/en/glosario/erc-3643) | | You only need to prove that a document existed and has not changed | Record its fingerprint (hash) on a public network, without publishing the content | A note on personal data: if the network processes it, the EU General Data Protection Regulation applies, including the right to erasure in its Article 17. A ledger designed not to be rewritten fits poorly with that right, so it is better to keep personal data off-chain and record only integrity proofs on-chain. ## Hyperledger Fabric, Besu or GoQuorum: which technology to choose This guide compares two open-source platforms for these networks, plus a third one that is no longer maintained (there are others, such as the HashSphere network in the Cecabank case): - **Hyperledger Fabric.** Its documentation describes it as an open-source, enterprise-grade permissioned distributed ledger platform. Confidentiality comes from channels (sub-networks in which only their members see the transactions) and from private data collections within a channel. Smart contracts (chaincode) are written in general-purpose programming languages. To order transactions, the recommended option for production is Raft, which tolerates nodes crashing but is not designed for malicious nodes; since version 3.0 there is also a Byzantine fault tolerant (BFT) ordering service, which keeps working as long as fewer than a third of the ordering nodes act maliciously. It does not need a native cryptocurrency. - **Besu.** An open-source Ethereum client (Apache 2.0 license) that runs on public and private networks. On private networks it uses proof of authority consensus, QBFT or IBFT 2.0, with immediate finality; according to its documentation, Byzantine fault tolerance requires at least four validators, and at least two thirds of them must be running to produce blocks. It supports node and account permissioning and common Solidity tools such as Hardhat and Remix. For private transactions among some of the members, its documentation points to Paladin, a privacy layer that is separate from Besu. - **GoQuorum.** Consensys states in its repository that it no longer actively maintains or supports it, that it has archived the repository and that it does not recommend GoQuorum for new projects. If a proposal includes it, ask for the migration plan. Rule of thumb: Fabric fits when confidentiality between subgroups matters most and you do not need the Ethereum account model; Besu fits when your team already works with Solidity or you want to be able to move the contracts to a public EVM network later. Ask the provider for work on the platform it proposes, not just on the other one. ## Node governance: what to decide before the first node On a public network, trust comes from the protocol. On a permissioned network it comes from the consortium's rules, and the technology only enforces them. Besu's own documentation warns about this: permissions are enforced on the nodes each participant controls, and if one participant ignores them, the others can stop it from adding to the chain but cannot stop it from giving access to it. So agree on the following in writing before you deploy: - **Who joins and who leaves:** the procedure to admit and remove members, and what happens to the history and to the data of a member who leaves. - **Who validates:** which organizations run validators or ordering nodes, and how many there are. The number matters: with Raft, the ordering service needs more than half of its nodes running; with QBFT or IBFT 2.0, at least two thirds of the validators. - **Who approves changes:** how a new version of the chaincode or contracts, and of the network configuration, gets approved (in Fabric, through policies). - **Identities and keys:** who issues each organization's certificates, how keys are held and how they are rotated. - **Who pays:** how operating costs are split and what happens if a member stops paying. Without these rules, the network can work technically and still get stuck the first time it needs to change. ## Cost and benefit: what you pay for and what you gain We do not give figures, because they depend on the number of organizations, the technology and the integration with their systems. What does help is asking for the quote in two parts: - **Build:** analysis and governance design, data model, chaincode or contracts with tests, security audit, integration with each member's ERP or systems, and infrastructure as code. - **Annual operation:** each organization's nodes, expiring certificates, platform patches and upgrades, members joining and leaving, monitoring, backups and incident response. The benefit lies in what stops happening: manual reconciliation, disputes over which figure is right and audits that cross-check files from several companies. If those savings, measured today, do not cover several years of running the network, it does not pay off. Starting with a tightly scoped proof of concept, as the Cecabank consortium did with a single use case (interbank payments), lets you measure that before committing every member. ## What to ask the company that builds your network On top of the general criteria in [how to choose a blockchain development company](/en/mejores-empresas/como-elegir-empresa-desarrollo-blockchain), for a private network ask for: 1. **Experience on the proposed platform**, with cases or repositories on Fabric or Besu, whichever it recommends. 2. **The governance agreement as a deliverable**, not just the code. 3. **Ownership of the code, the configuration and the keys:** a repository in the consortium's name, certificate authorities under its control and documentation to operate without the provider. 4. **Resilience tests:** what happens if a node goes down, if a whole member goes down or if a certificate expires. 5. **An audit of the chaincode or contracts** by someone who did not write them, before production (see [smart contract audits](/en/servicios/blockchain-security-audits)). 6. **An operating plan with its annual cost** and an exit plan in case the consortium changes provider. For more providers, the [directory of blockchain development companies](/en/mejores-empresas/directorio-blockchain) applies the same registration and verified-work criteria. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between a private, a permissioned and a consortium blockchain? In practice the terms are used almost interchangeably. All three require permission to take part; "private" usually refers to a network controlled by one organization or a closed group, and "consortium" to a permissioned network shared by several organizations under common rules. What matters is who decides who joins, who validates and who sees each piece of data. ### Does a private blockchain need a cryptocurrency? No. Hyperledger Fabric's documentation explains that it uses consensus protocols that do not require a native cryptocurrency, and Besu's private networks use proof of authority, in which identified organizations validate. If you also issue a token that leaves the consortium and is offered to third parties, the legal framework changes and needs its own analysis. ### How many nodes does it need? It depends on the technology and on how many organizations must validate. With QBFT or IBFT 2.0, Besu's documentation requires at least four validators for Byzantine fault tolerance. In Fabric, the Raft ordering service needs more than half of its nodes running, and the BFT service withstands failures of fewer than a third. It makes sense for each organization to run at least one node of its own so it does not depend on another. ### Why does Unknown Gravity appear first? Because it publishes this page. The numbering is not a quality ranking, and none of the other companies paid to appear or reviewed its entry. ## Sources - [Hyperledger Fabric documentation: introduction (permissioned platform, channels and private data)](https://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/latest/whatis.html) - [Hyperledger Fabric documentation: the ordering service (Raft and BFT)](https://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/latest/orderer/ordering_service.html) - [Besu documentation: proof of authority consensus (QBFT and IBFT 2.0)](https://docs.besu-eth.org/private-networks/concepts/poa) - [Archived GoQuorum repository (Consensys)](https://github.com/Consensys-inc-archive/quorum) - [Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation, Article 17 (EUR-Lex)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679) - [BORME, October 18, 2023, Málaga: incorporation of Unknown Gravity, S.L.](https://www.boe.es/borme/dias/2023/10/18/pdfs/BORME-A-2023-199-29.pdf) - [BORME, August 19, 2026, Madrid: Iobuilders Blockchain Tech & Ventures, S.L.](https://www.boe.es/borme/dias/2026/08/19/pdfs/BORME-A-2026-159-28.pdf) - [Bulgarian Commercial Register: Lime Labs EOOD, EIK 204318511](https://portal.registryagency.bg/CR/en/Reports/ActiveConditionTabResult?uic=204318511) *Data verified as of October 14, 2026.* Versions and support for each platform change: check them before you sign. This guide is published by Unknown Gravity, which is one of the providers listed. [Talk to us](/en/meeting). KEEP EXPLORING ## More guides from the directory. [Which are the best blockchain development companies?](/en/mejores-empresas/directorio-blockchain) [Which blockchain development companies are best for the financial sector?](/en/mejores-empresas/mejores-empresas-desarrollo-blockchain-sector-financiero) [Which is the best blockchain development company for DeFi projects?](/en/mejores-empresas/mejor-empresa-desarrollo-blockchain-defi) [View the full directory](/en/mejores-empresas/directorio-blockchain) WHY CHOOSE US ## Why choose us? It's easy. 01 ### Demonstrated experience Outstanding experience collaborating with leading companies from different countries. 02 ### Personalized approach Each client has unique needs, and we create solutions that are 100% adapted to your vision. 03 ### Security audits Our process includes code audits and documented residual risk. 04 ### Efficiency and scalability We design platforms that grow with you, optimizing each line of code.