Zcash shielded news | vol.32. Fact of the week. Running your own Zcash node means you don't have to trust someone else's infrastructure to determine what is valid. A full node independently checks transactions and blocks against Zcash's consensus rules, while also helping relay them across the peer-to-peer network. In today's edition ZODL Slipstream Brings Faster Syncing to Zodl - ZODL introduced Slipstream, its open-source sync engine for significantly faster wallet restores and syncing. Mirrors: A Zcash Update - Josh discussed leadership and staying focused on Zcash's mission, alongside the latest updates on Zodl Wallet, Coinholder Polling, and Zcash Core. ZF Engineering Update - July 27 to August 9 - Following Ironwood activation, the Zcash Foundation shipped Zebra 6.2.3, improving connectivity, syncing, mining infrastructure, and network reliability. Coinholder Grant Review Begins With $9M Requested Across 37 Proposals - The latest Coinholder-Directed Grants round entered review, with 37 proposals requesting a combined $9.01 million ahead of the September 17 poll. | **Viewing Keys: Privacy With Selective Visibility ** - Zcash viewing keys provide read-only access to shielded activity without allowing funds to be spent, giving users selective visibility while keeping control of their ZEC. ZODL introduced Slipstream, its new open-source synchronization engine designed to significantly reduce the time users spend waiting for Zodl to restore and sync their wallets. A sync engine downloads blockchain data and privately scans it to identify transactions associated with a user's keys. This process is particularly important for shielded Zcash transactions, where wallet activity cannot simply be looked up through a public address. Slipstream brings major performance improvements to this process. In ZODL's controlled benchmarks: * iPhone 16 Pro: wallet restoration dropped from nearly 17 minutes to 43 seconds. * 2018 iPad: the same test went from more than one hour to under five minutes. Image Rather than replacing Zcash's wallet cryptography, Slipstream uses the same open-source Rust libraries used across the broader Zcash ecosystem, with its optimizations validated against the reference implementation. Slipstream is now available to Zodl users and is open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license, allowing developers to inspect, modify, and build on the technology. For users, the takeaway is simple: faster wallet restores, faster everyday syncing, and less waiting when migrating funds to Ironwood. In his latest weekly update, Josh reflected on leadership, its strengths and flaws, and the importance of staying focused on Zcash's broader mission. Alongside that reflection, ZODL shared several updates across its wallet and core development work. Zodl Wallet. * Following the release of Zodl 3.9.0 on Android and 3.9.1 on iOS, the team shipped five additional bug-fix releases addressing issues reported during the rollout of Ironwood migration and the Slipstream sync engine. * Coinholder Polling progressed across the apps and SDKs, with updated voting logic, a dedicated voting API, fixes for multi-bundle delegation, and successful happy-path testing. * Multi-Account moved into review, while Product/Design began exploring a new spending feature and completed approved designs for Q3 priorities. Zcash Core & R&D. * A wallet-corrupting synchronization issue involving the Zebra backend was fixed. Instead of silently replacing an unreadable note commitment tree and potentially leaving a wallet in a crash loop, the backend will now stop when the problem is detected. * The zcashd | Zallet migration continued improving, including safer handling of key material, support for parsing older pre-Sapling seedless wallets, and a new address-import CLI command. * The zcash_pool_migration tooling gained additional wallet integration options and improvements for planning and rebuilding migration transactions. Overall, the update shows ZODL moving beyond the initial Ironwood rollout into stability, wallet improvements, Coinholder Polling, and the continued transition from zcashd to Zallet. With the NU7 poll approaching, Zodl users who want to participate should also make sure their ZEC is migrated to Ironwood before the August 24 snapshot at 19:00 UTC. Following the activation of NU6.3 "Ironwood", the Zcash Foundation focused its recent Zebra development on keeping nodes stable and well-connected through the network upgrade. Zebra v6.2.3, titled "Peer Connectivity Hardening," introduced several improvements: * Strengthened peer management, including better handling of misbehaving nodes and protection against accidentally banning honest peers around the Ironwood activation. * Improved networking and synchronization, helping nodes maintain healthy connections and catch up more reliably. * Optimized mining RPCs to avoid unnecessary proof rebuilding when miners request new block templates. * Added connection lifecycle metrics to give node operators better visibility into successful and failed connections. * Expanded Ironwood-era testing with support for generating v6 transactions. Development is also underway on two larger Zebra improvements: a lightwalletd-compatible gRPC server, which could eventually allow light wallets to communicate directly with Zebra, and a redesigned initial block download engine aimed at improving how new nodes synchronize with the network. Elsewhere, work continued on Zallet, zcashd-compat, the Zebra DNS seeder, and Ironwood support for external signing through frost-tools. Overall, the latest development cycle shows Zebra moving beyond Ironwood activation toward stronger networking, more reliable synchronization, improved mining infrastructure, and better support for wallets and node operators. The submission period for the latest Coinholder-Directed Grants round has closed, with 37 proposals requesting a combined $9,014,383.20. The mandatory 30-day community review period begins on Monday, giving coinholders time to examine proposals, question applicants, review evidence for completed work, and raise concerns before voting begins. The proposals range from smaller community and developer projects to major infrastructure, security, and Ironwood-related funding requests: * 14 proposals under $25,000 - $155,741.20 requested. * 12 proposals between $25,000 and $150,000 - $821,650 requested. * 11 proposals above $150,000 - $8,036,992 requested, representing 89.2% of all requested funding. Among the submissions are proposals covering wallets, developer tooling, Zcash infrastructure, block explorers, hardware-wallet support, security research and bug bounties, alongside major retroactive requests related to the Ironwood response and formal verification work. The review period closes September 16 at 20:00 UTC, with the coinholder poll opening September 17. Community members are encouraged to use the review period to examine the evidence and participate in the individual proposal discussions before voting begins.

Zcash powered wallet gets Ironwood ready before upgrade. Zodl 3.8.0 is now live on iOS with full support for Zcash's Ironwood network upgrade, introducing the new shielded pool ahead of the July 28 activation. Zodl ships iOS update ahead of Ironwood activation. Zodl has released version 3.8.0 on iOS, adding full support for Zcash's Ironwood network upgrade ahead of its activation on July 28. The update is a required install: users who do not upgrade before Ironwood activates risk wallet disruptions as the network transitions away from the existing Orchard shielded pool. The release also introduces support for the new Ironwood shielded pool. Users can migrate funds manually now, with a guided in-app migration tool set to follow in a future update. Users can already tap their balance on the home screen to see how their $ZEC is split across Zcash pools, including the new Ironwood pool. Why Ironwood matters for Zcash. The Ironwood upgrade is designed to address the so-called "infinity" vulnerability discovered in the Orchard private transaction pool. In May 2026, Shielded Labs security engineer Taylor Hornby discovered a critical vulnerability in the Orchard pool that had existed since Orchard's activation in May 2022 and could have allowed unlimited counterfeit $ZEC to be minted undetectably within the pool. Although the vulnerability was quickly fixed through an emergency network upgrade in early June 2026, the privacy features of Orchard meant there was no cryptographic way to prove whether anyone had exploited it before the patch was released. The current Orchard pool will be closed to new deposits and internal transactions so that funds in that pool can only move forward through the turnstile before entering Ironwood. Because the turnstile rejects any attempt to move out more $ZEC than entered, users gain a trustless guarantee that no more than the correct amount of ZEC can be circulating. The upgrade was originally planned for July 21 but was pushed back one week to give ecosystem participants, including crypto exchanges, mining pools, and crypto wallets, time to prepare their systems. The Ironwood upgrade is scheduled to activate at block height 3,428,143, expected around 13:00 UTC on July 28, 2026. Previously used Orchard addresses will continue to work in the new pool. Users holding transparent $ZEC balances or funds outside the legacy Orchard pool do not need to take any action, as only Orchard balances require migration. (Advertisement)

Zcash surges 60% in a week as institutional mining and ETF optimism mount. Zcash (ZEC) has rallied 60% over the last week, fueled by the launch of Foundry's institutional mining pool and anticipation surrounding a Grayscale spot ETF filing. By CryptoPress April 10, 2026 * Zcash (ZEC) has gained 60% over the past seven days, outperforming the broader market to reach a three-month high of approximately $383. The rally follows the launch of a compliant mining pool by Foundry Digital and a surge in the network's shielded pool supply, which now holds over 31% of ZEC. Market participants are closely watching the April 28 deadline for the SEC's decision on Grayscale's application to convert its Zcash Trust into a spot ETF. Zcash (ZEC) has emerged as the week's top performer in the privacy sector, posting a 60% gain as a combination of institutional infrastructure and regulatory optimism drives renewed demand. The privacy-focused token spiked over 21% in the last 24 hours alone, reaching $383 and reclaiming key technical levels that have remained untouched since late 2024. This momentum comes as Bitcoin continues its steady climb, yet ZEC's outperformance suggests a specific rotation into privacy-centric assets. A primary driver for the surge is the entry of Foundry Digital, the world's largest Bitcoin mining pool operator, which launched its institutional-grade Zcash mining pool this month. The initiative aims to provide a compliant mining environment for public companies and financial firms, addressing a long-standing gap in the privacy coin ecosystem. "Zcash has matured into an institutional-grade asset, but the mining infrastructure supporting it hasn't kept pace," said Mike Colyer, CEO of Foundry, noting that the pool will operate under rigorous SOC 1 and SOC 2 transparency standards. Beyond mining, on-chain metrics signal deepening fundamental adoption. The percentage of ZEC held in shielded pools - which utilize zk-SNARKs to keep transaction details private - has surpassed 31%, representing nearly $2 billion in value. This growth in shielded supply is viewed by analysts as a sign of genuine utility rather than mere speculative trading. Furthermore, the Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL) recently secured $25 million in funding from firms like Paradigm and Andreessen Horowitz to scale private financial tools, bolstering the long-term roadmap. Traders are also positioning themselves ahead of a critical regulatory milestone. The SEC is expected to deliver a decision on Grayscale's spot Zcash ETF filing by April 28. Following the closure of a previous SEC investigation into the Zcash Foundation earlier this year, sentiment has shifted toward the possibility of a "compliant privacy" narrative that could ease institutional onboarding. However, some analysts warn that the Relative Strength Index (RSI), currently sitting near 78, indicates overbought conditions that could lead to a short-term correction despite the bullish fundamental backdrop. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice of any kind. Readers should conduct their own research before making any decisions. (C) Cryptopress. For informational purposes only, not offered as advice of any kind. Discover more Currencies & Foreign Exchange Distributed & Cloud Computing Financial Markets News Lo último. * Zcash What is Zcash and how it works... * Zcash Developers Resign En Masse Over Governance Clash, ZEC Plunges 15% The entire Electric Coin Company team behind Zcash quit after a dispute with its nonprofit board, sending ZEC down over 15% to below $400. Developers plan new company to continue work, but uncertainty looms for the privacy coin... * Quantum-Resistant Cryptocurrencies: The Projects Leading the Charge in 2026 The top quantum-resistant cryptocurrencies in 2026, including privacy leader Zcash and dedicated pioneers like QRL. A guide to future-proof blockchain security... * Zcash Community Split Over Shielded Assets in Latest Sentiment Poll A recent Zcash sentiment poll reveals deep community divisions over the 2021 proposal to enable fully private token issuance on the network...