Zcash | Crypto

Google Gemini AI predicts something potentially explosive for Zcash (ZEC) by January 1, 2027. This isn’t a conventional bullish forecast; it’s a prediction based on a specific landmark catalyst for the privacy-focused token.The concept centers on a coordinated effort by major global banks and financial regulators to formally endorse and implement Zcash’s shielded transaction technology, […] The post Google Gemini AI Predicts an Explosive Q4 for Zcash appeared first on Cryptonews.

Zcash extended triple-digit year-to-date gains as developers agreed on the NU7 mainnet activation height, targeting Nov. 5, with node synchronization work still pending. Zcash (ZEC) surged about 12% over the past 24 hours, as developers agreed on a mainnet activation block for the network’s NU7 upgrade, expected in early November. The token traded around $1,270 at last look on Wednesday, according to CoinGecko. The rally coincided with a Tuesday GitHub proposal by Zcash developer Sean Bowe setting the activation at block 3,543,405, expected around Nov. 5. The value of the privacy-focused cryptocurrency that uses advanced trustless zero-knowledge proofs is up more than 148% year to date. Read more

The NU7 upgrade will cut the time between Zcash blocks to 25 seconds from 75 seconds. The chosen block height still has to be merged into the spec and shipped in node software.

AI has made it cheap to link wallet addresses to the people behind them, and the permanence of the blockchain means records don’t age out. Michael Zhao of Grayscale Research explains how Zcash’s shielded transactions address this problem, and why close to 29% of all ZEC ever mined now sits in the shielded pool.

Zcash’s NU7 upgrade is now live on testnet, giving developers several weeks to assess 25-second blocks and other protocol changes before a planned November mainnet activation. Zcash has activated its NU7 network upgrade on testnet, moving the planned protocol changes into live testing about a month before its targeted mainnet rollout. According to Zcash testnet block explorer ZecBlock, block 4,465,026 — NU7’s scheduled activation point — was mined on Oct. 4 at 18:21:45 UTC. Zcash confirmed the activation in a post on X, saying NU7 was live on testnet. NU7 is Zcash’s next network upgrade and seeks to reduce the network’s target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. The upgrade also disables version 4 transactions and integrates a Network Sustainability Mechanism that redirects part of transaction fees into future block rewards. Read more

The newly registered lobbying operation lists the CLARITY Act and two digital asset tax proposals among the issues it plans to lobby on in Washington. A Zcash-focused advocacy group has filed to lobby in Washington, stepping up the privacy-oriented cryptocurrency ecosystem’s efforts to shape US policy on digital assets. Pretty Good Policy for Zcash (PGPZ) filed a lobbying registration effective on Oct. 1, naming executive director Divij Pandya as its sole lobbyist. The registration lists the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and two digital asset tax proposals as among its current and anticipated lobbying issues. PGPZ was launched in June this year, growing out of Pretty Good Policy for Crypto, which was launched in 2022 by Electric Coin Co. The initiative hosted Washington policy roundtables and organized a congressional briefing on encryption technologies in 2023. Read more

Hackers behind Bitget’s $387.5 million breach are turning to Zcash's privacy features to hide the stolen funds as crypto firms increasingly block other escape routes. About 2,746 ZEC worth roughly $3.9 million was transferred Wednesday into Zcash’s Ironwood shielded pool through three transactions, according to on-chain activity flagged by blockchain investigator ZachXBT. The amount represents […] The post Bitget’s hackers turn to Zcash after $50 million laundering route gets blocked appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Grayscale sees more room for Zcash to grow as its market share rises and demand for blockchain privacy increases.

The proposed NU7 change would disable version 4 transactions, leaving ZEC in Zcash’s legacy Sprout shielded pool unspendable. Zcash users holding ZEC in the network’s legacy Sprout shielded pool should move it before the planned NU7 upgrade or risk losing the ability to spend it. Under Zcash Improvement Proposal-2003, NU7 would stop accepting the older transaction format that allows users to spend Sprout funds. ZEC left in the pool would become unspendable after the upgrade. The proposal would not burn Sprout funds and leaves open the possibility of restoring access later. However, it warns that holders may never be able to spend funds left in the pool. Read more

21shares listed physically backed ZEC and ETHFI products on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, as issuers broaden their offerings beyond major cryptocurrencies. European asset manager 21shares has launched the region’s first exchange-traded product tied to Zcash, extending the privacy coin’s reach into regulated markets following its strong performance over the past year. On Tuesday, 21shares listed its physically backed Zcash ETP on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, allowing investors to gain exposure to ZEC through brokerage accounts without holding the cryptocurrency directly. The asset manager also introduced an ETP tracking ETHFI, the governance and utility token of Ether.fi, a decentralized finance protocol that offers staking and other crypto-based financial services. The ETHFI product is physically backed and trades on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam. Read more

At the close of trading on Sept. 28, shareholders will receive two extra shares for each one they hold. Grayscale’s Zcash ETF (ZCSH) plans a 3-for-1 forward share split, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. At the close of trading on Sept. 28, shareholders will receive two extra shares for each one they hold, according to the filing. The forward split is expected to decrease the price per share of the fund, according to a Grayscale press release, with a proportionate increase in the number of shares outstanding. Read more

ZCSH holders would receive three shares for every one held as the fund cuts per-share NAV proportionately without changing investment value solely because of the split. The post ZEC’s 100% rally above $1500 sends Grayscale’s Zcash ETF within $85 million of $1 billion appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A new upgrade would cut Zcash block time from 75 seconds to 25, while quietly rewriting how the network pays for its own security after 2031.

The advisory poll also favored Sprout transaction deprecation, faster blocks and shipping the upgrade without features that miss its deadline. The post Zcash holders vote to preserve halvings and defer recycled ZEC until 2031 appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Industry watchers are debating the fate of the Zcash development fund after the ZEC token’s rally pushed its value above $95 million. Crypto-focused venture capital firm Dragonfly’s managing partner, Haseeb Qureshi, proposed winding down the Zcash developer fund after it expires under current rules in 2028. “I’m of the opinion that this should be the final Dev Fund,” wrote Qureshi in a Friday X post, arguing that the fund is large enough to fund remaining work on Zcash and that it risks being “politicized” as it approaches $100 million in value. The Zcash development fund held 63,962 Zcash (ZEC) tokens at press time, worth about $95 million, according to ZecStats. Read more

NU7 will cut Zcash block times to 25 seconds and preserve its halving schedule, with testnet activation planned for Oct. 6. Zcash developers are targeting Nov. 5 for NU7 mainnet activation after organizations and engineering teams reached “unanimous agreement” on its contents and estimated timeline.  On Thursday, Zcash developer Sean Bowe said the upgrade is scheduled to activate on the testnet on Oct. 6. A final decision on the mainnet upgrade and its activation height is scheduled for Oct. 20, after an assessment of NU7’s testnet performance.  The upgrade would reduce Zcash’s target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, disabling version 4 transactions and integrating the Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM). The chosen NSM configuration would preserve Zcash’s halving schedule, with the reintroduction of previously removed supply beginning in February 2031.  Read more

Former Hut 8 CEO Jaime Leverton will take the helm at Fortitude as the Zcash-focused miner expands its operations and moves toward a planned public listing. Fortitude Mining has appointed former Hut 8 CEO Jaime Leverton as chief executive as the Zcash-focused miner prepares to go public through a proposed merger with HeartSciences. Leverton will succeed Andrea Childs as CEO on Sept. 21, with Childs moving to chief operating officer. Fortitude mined 72,696 ZEC in the first half of 2026, accounting for about 28% of the network’s total production during the period. The company reported revenue of $20.9 million for the second quarter. It operates more than 60 megawatts of power capacity across seven sites in South Dakota, Nebraska, Texas and New York, and in July agreed to purchase 9,000 Bitmain Antminer Z15 Pro machines, which are expected to add 7.56 GSol/s of equihash hashrate. Shipments are expected in the fourth quarter. Read more

Zcash rose about 20% in 24 hours as Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang disclosed that the firm invested in ZEC amid a broader crypto market rally. Zcash gained about 20% over the past 24 hours as Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang disclosed that the crypto investment firm made an unspecified purchase of ZEC, the privacy-focused token that has been outperforming a broader rise across crypto markets. Zcash (ZEC), a cryptocurrency that enables users to make shielded transactions that conceal addresses and transaction amounts using zero-knowledge proofs, traded around $1,338 at last look on Thursday. Its surge came in the wake of Huang’s Wednesday post revealing that Paradigm is an investor in the Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL) as well as a ZEC token holder.  Today’s more than 10% rise extends ZEC’s one-month increase to roughly 160%, compared to Bitcoin’s (BTC) 18.2% rise in the same period, according to Coingecko data. Read more

Bitcoin traded above $76,000 as the Fed projected limited further tightening, while Paradigm’s Matt Huang discussed Zcash’s role as a privacy complement to bitcoin.

Nearly 99% of ZEC holders voted to reduce block times to 25 seconds, while keeping ZEC issuance and halving schedules unchanged. Zcash token holders backed cutting the network’s target block time to 25 seconds from 75 seconds and preserving its existing halving schedule in a poll on the next major upgrade. The faster-block proposal received 99.9% of the Zcash (ZEC)-weighted vote, while 98.9% supported keeping halvings, according to results published Monday. Voting power reflected eligible ZEC holdings, with both percentages including abstentions. The shorter interval would reduce the expected wait for a transaction’s first confirmation, according to the proposal. The amount of new ZEC issued per block would fall to keep scheduled daily issuance unchanged. Read more