Latest Zcash (ZEC) News Update

Deep Dive

1. SEC Privacy Roundtable (15 December 2025)

Overview:
The SEC will host a roundtable on cryptocurrency surveillance and privacy, featuring Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox and Aleo CEO Koh. Discussions will address regulatory frameworks for privacy tech like zk-SNARKs amid growing global scrutiny.

What this means:
This is neutral for ZEC, as it highlights institutional interest in privacy solutions but underscores regulatory risks. A balanced outcome could legitimize shielded transactions, while harsher rhetoric might pressure exchanges. (Binance News)

2. Bitget Listing Sparks Rally (6 December 2025)

Overview:
ZEC jumped 10% after its Bitget listing, with Open Interest rising 11% to $946M. However, resistance near $443 remains untested, and short liquidations ($3.64M) suggest fragile momentum.

What this means:
This is bullish short-term, as improved liquidity and visibility attract traders. However, the -9.78% 24h price drop signals profit-taking risks. Watch $360 support for trend validation. (AMBCrypto)

3. Saylor vs. Ben-Sasson Clash (5 December 2025)

Overview:
MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor argued against Bitcoin adopting Zcash-style privacy, fearing government backlash. Zcash co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson countered that shielded transactions enable compliance via view keys.

What this means:
This is bearish for sentiment if regulators echo Saylor’s concerns but reinforces ZEC’s niche as a compliance-friendly privacy asset. Rising OI (+6%) post-debate shows traders betting on narrative traction. (CoinDesk)

Conclusion

Zcash’s privacy tech faces regulatory headwinds but gains tactical wins via exchange listings and institutional dialogue. While bullish momentum persists, the $360–$390 zone remains critical for sustaining recovery. Will shielded transaction growth outpace regulatory friction in 2026?

Deep Dive

1. @MusicByVirtuals: Prediction Market Sentiment Bearish

"Current Price Prediction: Above $550: 14.2% / Below $550: 85.8%"
– @MusicByVirtuals (6.2K followers · 42K impressions · 2025-11-28 14:56 UTC)
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What this means: The crowd overwhelmingly expects ZEC to stay under $550 short-term, reflecting caution after its 644% 90-day rally.

2. @bitcoin_duniya: Privacy Narrative Bullish

"ZEC rose from ~$40 to ~$700 on shielded transaction demand... could play stronger role in privacy-asset segment"
– @bitcoin_duniya (17.5K followers · 8.1K impressions · 2025-11-17 06:21 UTC)
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What this means: Developers highlight ZEC's zero-knowledge proofs as differentiation vs transparent chains, though only 29% of supply is shielded.

3. @SEC_News: Regulatory Event Mixed

SEC hosts Dec 15 roundtable with Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox – ACLU, Blockchain Association reps attending
– SEC Announcement (Official · 2025-12-06 02:03 UTC)
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What this means: Regulatory dialogue could legitimize privacy tech or amplify compliance fears – critical juncture for ZEC’s exchange listings.

4. @ChartFu: Technical Rebound Neutral

"Zcash looking good here" (Price chart showing rebound from $305 support)
– @ChartFu (119K followers · 287K impressions · 2025-11-17 15:15 UTC)
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What this means: Traders eye $443 resistance – reclaiming this could signal trend reversal after 30% November drop.

Conclusion

The consensus on ZEC is mixed – bullish technicals and institutional accumulation (Grayscale’s $277M Trust) clash with regulatory uncertainty and overheated RSI (76). Watch the SEC roundtable outcomes and whether ZEC holds its 200-day EMA ($356) – a breakdown here could validate prediction market pessimism, while holding sets up retests of November’s $744 high. Privacy’s paradox: both its USP and biggest regulatory risk.

Deep Dive

1. Network Upgrade 6.1 (November 2025)

Overview: NU6.1 activated on testnet at block height 3,536,500, introducing fixes for Orchard shielded transaction balance calculations and enforcing stricter consensus rules.

The upgrade addresses a critical bug where unshielding Orchard notes (private transactions) weren’t accurately reflected in wallet balances via RPC methods like getbalance. It also sets the stage for future mainnet activation after testnet validation.

What this means: This is bullish for ZEC because it strengthens auditability of shielded transactions while maintaining privacy, reducing risks of balance calculation errors for developers and users. (Source)

2. Ztarknet Layer-2 Rollup (November 2025)

Overview: Ztarknet, a Starknet-inspired L2, enables programmable smart contracts on Zcash while preserving shielded privacy via Circle-STARK proofs.

Transactions settle on Zcash’s base layer, keeping shielded pools untouched. The Rust-based stack (Zebra node, Madara sequencer) supports Cairo contracts, aiming for thousands of private transactions per second.

What this means: This is neutral-to-bullish for ZEC as it expands use cases (DeFi, swaps) without compromising core privacy features, though adoption depends on developer uptake. (Source)

3. zcashd Deprecation (April 2025)

Overview: The legacy zcashd node software is being phased out in favor of Zebra (Rust-based node) and Zallet (new wallet), with full migration planned for 2025.

Key RPC methods like createrawtransaction and signrawtransaction are deprecated, while wallet-specific features shift to Zallet. Users must opt into acknowledging this change via config files.

What this means: This is neutral for ZEC, as the transition aims to modernize infrastructure but may disrupt services relying on deprecated RPC methods during migration. (Source)

Conclusion

Zcash’s latest codebase updates emphasize scalability (Ztarknet), privacy integrity (NU6.1), and infrastructure modernization (Zebra/Zallet). These changes position ZEC as a privacy-first platform with expanding utility, though adoption hinges on seamless migration and developer engagement. How will Zcash balance regulatory scrutiny with its shielded transaction growth?

Deep Dive

1. Shielded ZEC Swaps via NEAR Intents (Late November 2025)

Overview: Zashi Wallet will enable direct swaps from transparent assets (e.g., BTC, ETH) to shielded ZEC using NEAR Protocol’s Intents, eliminating reliance on centralized exchanges for private transactions. This feature, announced for late November 2025, aims to simplify privacy adoption (Coinspeaker).
What this means: Bullish for ZEC as it reduces friction for users seeking privacy. However, initial reliance on transparent addresses for refunds may pose traceability risks until fully shielded refunds are implemented.

2. Ztarknet Devnet Launch (Q1 2026)

Overview: Ztarknet, a Starknet-inspired L2 rollup, uses Circle-STARK proofs to enable programmable smart contracts on Zcash without altering its base-layer privacy. The testnet launched in November 2025, with a devnet release targeting Q1 2026 (Eli5DeFi).
What this means: Neutral-to-bullish. While programmability could attract DeFi users, adoption depends on developer traction and seamless integration with Zcash’s shielded pools.

3. Zashi 2.0 Wallet Enhancements (Q4 2025)

Overview: The Q4 2025 roadmap prioritizes Zashi 2.0 upgrades, including ephemeral addresses (single-use for swaps), transparent address rotation (to reduce linkability), and improved hardware wallet support (Bitrue).
What this means: Bullish for usability. Simplifying shielded transactions could increase daily shielded volume (currently ~30% of ZEC supply) and institutional adoption.

4. Decentralization & Governance Shifts (Ongoing)

Overview: Zcash is transitioning from zcashd (C++ node) to Zebra (Rust-based), aiming for a more decentralized network. Governance updates include community-driven funding votes and reduced Electric Coin Company (ECC) influence (Zcash Foundation).
What this means: Neutral. While decentralization aligns with crypto ideals, slower decision-making could delay critical upgrades amid rising competition (e.g., Monero, Railgun).

Conclusion

Zcash’s roadmap balances immediate usability improvements (Zashi 2.0, shielded swaps) with long-term scalability (Ztarknet) and decentralization. Success hinges on accelerating shielded adoption while navigating regulatory scrutiny of privacy tools. Will ZEC’s technical edge outweigh regulatory headwinds in 2026?