Zcash

Zcash is a decentralized cryptocurrency focused on privacy and anonymity. It uses the zk-SNARK zero-knowledge proof technology that allows nodes on the network to verify transactions without revealing any sensitive information about those transactions. ZEC transactions by default do not reveal the sending and receiving addresses or the amount being sent. There is an option, however, to reveal this data for the purposes of auditing or regulatory compliance. Zcash was first released on October 28, 2016, and it was originally based on Bitcoin’s codebase.

Zcash, formerly "Zerocoin," was created in 2013 by a group of scientists from Johns Hopkins University. The team recruited additional scientists from leading academic institutions including MIT and Tel Aviv University to build the standalone Zcash protocol. Zcash was first mined in October 2016.


Zcash is a decentralized cryptocurrency focused on privacy and anonymity. It uses the zk-SNARK zero-knowledge proof technology that allows nodes on the network to verify transactions without revealing any sensitive information about those transactions.

ZEC transactions by default do not reveal the sending and receiving addresses or the amount being sent. There is an option, however, to reveal this data for the purposes of auditing or regulatory compliance.

Zcash has a fixed supply of 21 million ZEC and undergoes block halvings every four years.

Zcash distributes a portion of its block rewards to development funding. 20% of Zcash issuance is allocated to the Electric Coin Company, the Zcash Foundation, and independent third-party developers, while 80% is rewarded to miners. 

The Nasdaq-listed privacy firm launched Cypherpunk Mining through a $33.33 million equity deal with Winklevoss Capital, adding roughly 18% of the Zcash network's hashrate to accelerate its treasury ambitions.

Winklevoss-Backed Cypherpunk Launches 'World's Largest' Zcash Mining Fleet

On Tuesday, Cypherpunk Technologies disclosed that it has launched a U.S.-based zcash (ZEC) mining fleet with about 4.2 GSol/s of computing power after completing a $33.33 million equity transaction with Winklevoss Capital.

Winklevoss-Backed Cypherpunk Seizes 18% of Total Zcash Hashrate

Cypherpunk Mining is online as of today with roughly 4.2 GSol/s of Equihash hashrate deployed across the US.

Cypherpunk Technologies launches Zcash mining fleet with $33 million Winklevoss deal

Zcash rallied over 4.3% to cross $518, bringing its market cap to $8.65 billion and widening its lead over monero (XMR). Ecosystem Progress Zcash (ZEC) surged past the $500 mark on Monday, rebounding from an Aug. 11 slump that saw it dip below $470.

ZEC Breaks $500 as 4.3% Daily Gain Puts XMR Further Behind

Cardano

Dash

The aggregate crypto market cap rose from under $2.2 trillion to $2.9 trillion during the first week of August 2026. Bitcoin gained over 3% to peak above $65,300, pushing its market cap past $1.3 trillion while Cardano logged a second week of double-digit gains.

Crypto Weekly: ADA and Privacy Coins Outperform While XRP Slides

Bitcoin

Will Bitcoin breakout of its death cross? Can Zcash continue to make holders forget about that mid-June crash?

Bitcoin Tests Market's Patience as Zcash Gives Holders Hope: Analysis

Fortitude Mining completed the cash acquisition of a 12.5 MW mining facility for a net outlay of about $4.7 million after credits.

DCG's Fortitude acquires 12.5 MW Nebraska facility for net $4.7 million, expanding Zcash mining portfolio

On Monday afternoon, Zcash surged nearly 5% to reach a session high near $494, reclaiming an $8 billion market capitalization and solidifying its position as the top privacy coin. Privacy as Crypto's ‘Last Frontier' On the afternoon of Aug.

ZEC Just Surged Past $490 — Here Is What's Driving the Rally

The new Zcash miners are scheduled to ship in Q4and will be deployed across Fortitude's more than 60 MW of power capacity.

Fortitude targets 145% Zcash mining capacity increase with $31.5 million Bitmain order

DCG's Fortitude Mining has entered into purchase agreements worth about $45 million for mining hardware and Nebraska infrastructure as it accelerates vertical integration in Zcash mining. This article first appeared in The Energy Mag. The original article can be viewed here.

Fortitude Invests $45M in Zcash Mining Infrastructure to Drive Vertical Integration

Roughly 5% of the funds in the retired Orchard pool have gone through the turnstile. The rest sit in a pool that can no longer take deposits.

About $80 million ZEC crosses into Zcash's new 'Ironwood' pool in the first day

Zcash activated its Ironwood network upgrade on Tuesday, replacing its vulnerable Orchard shielded pool with a hardened system designed to restore independent verification of the cryptocurrency's circulating supply. The NU6.

Ironwood Goes Live as Zcash Locks Down Orchard and Forces a $1.8B Migration

The long-awaited network upgrade retires Zcash's vulnerable Orchard shielded pool and introduces new safeguards to protect the cryptocurrency's supply.

Zcash Activates Ironwood Upgrade After Counterfeiting Scare

Ironwood represents something of a unified effort across Zcash's developer ecosystem after Shielded Labs found a bug in Orchard.

Zcash activates Ironwood upgrade, launching new shielded pool after Orchard vulnerability

Fortitude expects its new 12-megawatt mining facility to cut its direct cash mining cost from about $70 to roughly $40 per ZEC.

Barry Silbert-backed Zcash miner Fortitude brings Nebraska facility online to cut its ZEC production costs

The upgrade retires Orchard, where a counterfeiting bug sat undetected for four years. Every coin inside now has to leave through a gate that caps withdrawals at verified deposits.

Zcash seals $1.7 billion shielded pool as Ironwood upgrade activates

The Digital Currency Group-owned Zcash miner brought its first greenfield site online as it looks to lower mining costs and advance plans to become a public company.

Zcash Miner Fortitude Powers Up Nebraska Facility as It Eyes Public Listing

Zcash developers are sealing off a shielded pool that carried a critical bug, and a new node built for speed is already backing the fix. The Ironwood hard fork, known as NU6.3, activates around July 28, 2026, at block height 3,428,143.

Zakura Node Hits Four-Hour Sync as Zcash Preps July 28 Ironwood Upgrade

The new Zakura client is the first live piece of a plan to take Zcash from roughly one private transaction per second to payment-network scale.

Inside Zcash's new node that targets Visa-scale privacy at 50,000 transactions per second

Project Tachyon outlined new details of its verification effort for Zcash's upcoming Ironwood shielded pool.

ZEC jumps 12% as Zcash nears mathematical proof against hidden counterfeit bugs

Zcash developers are closing in on a July 21 mainnet launch for Ironwood, a network upgrade built to let any node operator verify the coin's circulating supply on day one. The upgrade traces back to a discovery on May 29.

Zcash Price Climbs 13% in a Week as Network Preps Ironwood Upgrade

Developers say security testing has uncovered no new serious bugs as Zcash's Ironwood upgrade moves toward testnet activation.

Zcash Ironwood Upgrade Nears as Developers Work to Restore Confidence After ZEC Crash

Argos is a recovery tool for users who had shielded funds stuck on ZEC Wallet Lite, an issue impacting some longtime Zcash supporters.

New Zcash nonprofit Sovright unveils ZEC wallet recovery tool

Zcash miner Fortitude Mining, a DCG subsidiary, wants to merge with a small-cap Nasdaq stock, HeartSciences Inc.

Barry Silbert's Zcash miner proposes merger, sends Nasdaq stock soaring despite rough month for ZEC

Fortitude Mining Holdings and Heartsciences have agreed to an all-stock business combination that would bring a DCG-owned zcash (ZEC) mining platform to the Nasdaq Capital Market under the proposed ticker TUDE. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Heartsciences shareholders.

News for Zcash Crypto (ZEC)