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. 

In 2025, the cryptocurrency market experienced extreme volatility, with bitcoin ( BTC) and major altcoins erasing their mid-year gains by December. Amid this downturn, privacy coins emerged as a resilient outlier, with the sector's market cap surging 200% YoY to $19 billion by late November.

Privacy Is Back: Why XMR and ZEC Won the 2025 Crypto ‘Wild Ride'

Tron

Aave

Canton

Ethena 

Hyperliquid

NEAR Protocol

Uniswap

Bitwise filed applications for 11 new crypto strategy ETFs, which would both directly and indirectly invest in crypto.

Bitwise files for 11 new crypto ETFs tracking Bittensor, Tron and others

Cypherpunk's ZEC position now accounts for more than a third of its stated 5% accumulation target, following a series of recent purchases.

Winklevoss-backed Cypherpunk adds $29 million in ZEC, lifts holdings to nearly 2% of supply

USDC

This year also saw the launch of networks like Aztec's Ignition chain, apps like Privacy Pools, and corporate experiments like Circle's USDCx.

From Aztec to Zcash: The year ‘pragmatic privacy' took root

The privacy narrative is positioned for continued relevance into 2026, driven by practical adoption needs rather than speculative momentum.

Zcash's shielded supply holds firm at 23% as privacy adoption proves sticky

Dash

Arthur Hayes recently argued that the altcoin season never actually stopped; instead, he said it has become “nuanced” and “decoupled.” Market data from much of 2025 supports this view, showing massive gains in certain niches while others stagnated.

Privacy Coins and Gold-Backed Tokens Lead 2025's Altcoin Winners

Cardano

Most tokens that debuted this year are trading below their initial valuations.

Crypto Markets Today: Cardano-based NIGHT crashes, ZEC, XMR also drop

The price movement comes after the DTCC announced it would adopt Canton Network for the issuance of tokenized securities.

Canton Leads Privacy Coin Rally As Midnight, Zcash, Monero Tick Up

The privacy-focused crypto asset zcash (ZEC) has retreated sharply from its peak just above $741 on Nov. 15, sliding to a low of $411 as of Tuesday, Dec. 16. Meanwhile, ZEC rival monero ( XMR) has continued to push higher, advancing more than 15% over the past seven days.

Monero Pulls Ahead as Zcash Cools and Privacy Coins Feel the Pressure

Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC) jumped 12% on Thursday, breaking above short-term resistance off the back of strong bullish momentum. Zcash Breaks Through Key Fibonacci Wall With EMAs Turning Higher ZEC Price Action (Source: TradingView) ZEC has retraced sharply from its $300 support base and is now testing the first major Fibonacci resistance cluster.

Bitcoin, Ethereum Stumble After Fed Cut, But This Coin Just Keeps Going Up

In this week's Crypto Long & Short Newsletter, Carter Feldman writes that the bear market makes this a prime moment for privacy coins, signaling growing user demand for true financial autonomy. Then, we dive into Ethereum with Andy Baehr's “vibe check” – when ETH rallies, it may signal something larger is afoot.

Investors Are Hunting for Countercyclical Value in Privacy Coins

Cypherpunk Technologies stock jumped 40% Tuesday following the appointment of Zooko Wilcox to help guide the Zcash treasury firm.

Zcash Founder Zooko Wilcox Joins ZEC Treasury Firm as Privacy Coin Surges

ZEC zoomed 12% amid the fee discussion, beating gains across all major tokens.

Zcash Floats Dynamic Fee Plan to Ensure Users Won't Be Priced Out

Zooko Wilcox consulted with new anonymous phone service Phreeli on implementing a zero-knowledge proof system to preserve user privacy.

Zcash Founder Helped to Create This Anonymous Phone Service

The privacy coin zcash has experienced a sharp price collapse, tumbling to $316 on Dec. 2 and falling over 30% since Nov. 26. Technical analysis remains bearish, with one analyst projecting the coin to continue its decline toward a support range of $297-$311 before any potential reversal.

Zcash Crashes: From $700 Peak to $316 in Two Weeks

Privacy coins like ZCash and Monero dropped as analysts say the "safe haven" narrative has broken, tying their fate to Bitcoin's cycles.

Privacy Coins Lose Steam as ZCash, Monero, and Dash Follow Crypto Market Pullback

A committee endorsement has reignited long-running questions about whether Zcash should preserve its off-chain governance structure.

Vitalik Buterin: 'Dark Hand' of Token Voting Could Erode Zcash Privacy

Aurora Labs CEO Alex Shevchenko attributes Zcash's rally to a clear narrative as “encrypted Bitcoin,” years of development and legitimacy and authentic endorsements from respected voices. Privacy as a Human Right The cryptocurrency market has recently witnessed a seismic event: the price of privacy coin Zcash (ZEC) soared by an estimated 1,500% in just months.

The Recipe for 1,500% Gains: Aurora Labs CEO Breaks Down ZEC Surge and Crypto's Privacy Pivot

Monero surged 23% this week on futures speculation while Zcash fell equally, reflecting leverage and timing within the privacy narrative.

Monero and Zcash Diverge in Double-Digit Weekly Swing as Privacy Coins Rotate

Reliance Global Group's decisive shift into zcash signals a powerful bet on privacy-driven crypto, positioning the company to capitalize on rising institutional demand and the accelerating momentum behind ZEC's next-generation financial architecture. Reliance Global Group Realigns Treasury Toward Zcash Reliance Global Group Inc. (Nasdaq: RELI) announced on Nov.

Nasdaq-Listed Reliance Dumps Broad Crypto Stack With Rapid Consolidation Into Zcash

Every so often, a distinct corner of the crypto realm commands attention, and in 2025, privacy-focused tokens have enjoyed a pronounced revival as more users seek financial discretion in an era of heightened regulatory monitoring and expanding data capture.

A Year of Crypto Plot Twists: Privacy Coins Reclaim Their Power in 2025

The following article is adapted from The Block's newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

The Daily: Robinhood takes aim at larger prediction-market share, Grayscale files to launch first-ever Zcash ETF, and more

Grayscale is riding the recent Zcash hype with plans to convert its trust into an ETF.

Grayscale Files to Launch Zcash ETF After Privacy Coin's 1,000% Price Surge

Grayscale announced the move on Wednesday on X, saying it submitted a Form S-3 for the Grayscale Zcash Trust, calling the filing “an important step required to launch the first ZEC ETPs.

Grayscale Moves Toward First Zcash ETF With SEC Filing

Grayscale has filed to convert its Zcash Trust into the first U.S. spot ETF tracking the privacy-focused cryptocurrency.

News for Zcash Crypto (ZEC)