Zcash news

Zcash mining is generating roughly $727 per megawatt-hour of electricity, more than four times Bitcoin's $162 per MWh, according to TheEnergyMag. The figure also surpasses the high-performance computing colocation benchmark of about $222 per MWh, which data centers earn from AI and cloud workloads. The surge is driven by ZEC's price rebound to $800-$890, with a 68.7% jump in one week in 2026. Bitmain's Z15 Pro ASIC, designed for Zcash's Equihash algorithm, is the primary hardware. Earlier estimates ranged from $373 to $769 per MWh, and the current figure reflects sustained price strength. Institutional interest is growing, with Cypherpunk Technologies closing a $33.33 million equity deal for 4.2 gigasols per second, acquiring about 18% of Zcash's network hashrate. However, a 50% drop in ZEC's price would reduce revenue per MWh to around $360, still above Bitcoin, while a return to 2024 prices under $100 would make mining unprofitable.

Zcash (ZEC) hit its highest price since 2018, briefly reaching $888, before settling around $843, up nearly 7% in 24 hours and 48% since August 20. The privacy coin remains far below its all-time high of $3,191.93 from 2016, but has surged over 1,800% in the past year. Open interest in ZEC perpetual futures nearly doubled from $962.5 million to $1.8 billion in five days, with 24-hour volume at $5.3 billion. Positive funding rates indicate bullish sentiment, but crowded futures markets could amplify short squeezes or long liquidations. Interest in Zcash has grown due to its privacy features and Grayscale's ETF filing. However, in June, a disclosed security flaw in its Orchard shielded pool caused a price drop from $635 to $309. An emergency patch and the Ironwood upgrade were implemented, though exploitation remains undetermined. Recently, Cypherpunk Technologies launched a mining operation representing 18% of the network's hashrate.

Zcash (ZEC) surged approximately 62% over the past week to as high as $880, trading near multi-year highs as holders face a Monday snapshot deadline to qualify for a governance vote on major network changes. The vote, organized by the Valar Group and Project Tachyon, will consider proposals to replace Zcash's periodic halvings with a gradual issuance curve, reduce target block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, and address other NU7 network upgrades. The poll is advisory and runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 14, with approved changes still requiring development and deployment.

Zcash's emergency migration from its compromised Orchard shielded pool to the new Ironwood pool has reached 85% completion. Only 3% of the total ZEC supply remains in Orchard, while Ironwood has accumulated over 3.7 million ZEC, with migration speeds reaching thousands of coins per hour. The migration follows a soundness vulnerability discovered in May 2026 that could have allowed undetectable counterfeiting of ZEC. After an emergency patch, the NU6.3 upgrade introduced Ironwood on July 28, 2026, featuring formal verification and quantum-resilient cryptographic elements. The Orchard pool was sealed at activation, and users must move funds via a privacy-preserving turnstile mechanism. Mid-August snapshots showed 79.2% completion, with the jump to 85% indicating sustained momentum. Wallet providers like Cake Wallet and ZODL are facilitating the process for non-technical holders. The Ironwood upgrade's formal verification addresses the original vulnerability's root cause through automated mathematical proofs.

Grayscale's Zcash Trust will begin trading on NYSE Arca on or about August 25 under the ticker ZCSH, upgrading from the OTCQX marketplace to a spot ETF structure. The trust holds approximately 391,000 to 393,000 ZEC, valued at over $260 million, with Coinbase Custody safeguarding the assets and Jane Street Capital and Virtu Americas serving as authorized participants. The annual sponsor fee is 2.5%. The move follows a series of SEC amendments, and parent company DCG is reportedly in discussions to contribute around 200,000 ZEC to the trust. ZEC's price has surged to above $800, with peaks near $850, a 38-48% increase in a compressed timeframe, while futures trading volume has climbed to nearly $10 billion. The creation and redemption mechanism is expected to close the gap between market price and net asset value, which previously saw premiums as high as 240% and discounts as deep as 55%.

Zcash's ZEC token surged over 22% in 24 hours to about $818.77 on Saturday, hitting an eight-year high near $855, according to The Block's price data. The rally extends a weeklong gain fueled by Grayscale's push to convert its Zcash trust into an exchange-traded fund, with futures volume reaching over $9.5 billion in the past day. If approved, the renamed Zcash ETF would be the first U.S. fund directly tracking ZEC's price, though Grayscale's filing also revealed nonbinding discussions by Digital Currency Group to potentially acquire 200,000 ZEC. The token's recovery marks a sharp turnaround from June's 60% selloff following a critical counterfeiting vulnerability disclosure, which was later patched. Despite trading about 35% above its pre-selloff level, ZEC remains roughly 75% below its all-time high of $3,191.93. The move contrasts with modest inflows into other altcoin ETFs like XRP and Solana, while Bitcoin funds attracted nearly $2 billion over the same period.

Zcash (ZEC) surged to an eight-year high after Grayscale filed a fifth amended registration with the SEC for its proposed Zcash ETF, which includes a 2.5% annual sponsor fee and the new name The Zcash ETF, to list under ZCSH on NYSE Arca. The filing advances the fund but does not guarantee SEC approval. ZEC rose over 34% in 24 hours, crossing $800 for the first time since January 2018, hitting an intraday high of $857. The rally follows a June setback from a security flaw in shielded pools that cut its value in half before an emergency fix.

Zcash (ZEC) surged over 42% in 24 hours to surpass $800, trading as high as $805.52, a level not seen since November 2025. The rally was driven by Grayscale's SEC filing to convert its Zcash Trust into an ETF on NYSE Arca, alongside growing institutional interest in privacy-focused assets, previously sparked by Multicoin Capital's significant ZEC position. The move broke ZEC's recent trading range of $500 to $700 and set a new multi-year price record, exceeding the November 2025 peak of around $750. The Grayscale filing signals institutional legitimacy for privacy crypto, but analysts caution that the filing is not an approval and that ZEC has historically seen sharp corrections after similar gains.

Grayscale has filed amendments to convert its Zcash Trust into a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF), potentially listing on NYSE Arca as soon as August 25 under the ticker ZCSH. The filings outline a structure with continuous share creation and redemption, featuring authorized participants like Jane Street Capital and Virtu Americas, with Coinbase handling custody. The move brings a privacy-focused asset into regulatory focus, as Zcash's zero-knowledge proofs enable shielded transactions. The trust, holding around 391,000-393,000 ZEC, has historically traded at premiums or discounts up to 240% and 55%, respectively. If approved, it would be the first SEC-sanctioned spot ETF for a privacy coin, though the August 25 date remains aspirational pending regulatory sign-off.

Grayscale has filed a fifth amended application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to convert its Zcash Trust into a spot exchange-traded fund, moving closer to launching the first Zcash ETF in the U.S. The proposed ETF, renamed The Zcash ETF, would list on NYSE Arca under the ticker ZCH, with an annual sponsor fee of 2.5%. Coinbase Custody would serve as custodian. This latest filing follows a previous amendment noting that a Digital Currency Group subsidiary may contribute about 200,000 ZEC to the fund. Grayscale's Zcash Trust, operating since 2017, holds over $260 million in assets under management. If approved, it would be the first U.S. ETF to directly track the privacy-focused cryptocurrency.