As blockchain applications expand, privacy protection and quantum resistance are being refocused as core priorities by more developers. Foreign media reported that Zcash co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson recently stated that these two capabilities may gradually become foundational requirements for the crypto industry, provided that usage barriers are low enough and costs remain sufficiently controllable.
Two capabilities were specifically mentioned.
Ben-Sasson posted on X that privacy and quantum resistance may become the industry’s next standard. He believes that if the solutions are too complex or costly, they will be difficult to adopt at scale.
The article notes that as on-chain activity increases, discussions around privacy continue to gain momentum in the cryptocurrency industry. Meanwhile, researchers are advancing post-quantum cryptography, as future quantum computers powerful enough could pose security threats to current encryption schemes.
Quantum resistance discussions have entered the testing phase.
Ben-Sasson has recently spoken publicly multiple times about these two directions. The report mentions that in August, StarkWare completed the first-ever "quantum-safe" Bitcoin transaction demonstration, which has since been included on the Bitcoin mainnet. Ben-Sasson is also one of the co-founders of StarkWare.
He further proposed that, as the industry advances toward quantum readiness, at least two questions must be addressed: first, whether the current cryptographic schemes used by public blockchains can withstand quantum computing attacks; and second, what actions users will need to take once the network transitions to a fully quantum-resistant security system.
Zcash activity advances in sync with upgrades
On the Zcash network itself, shielded transaction activity has recently surged significantly. Over the past week, Zcash shielded transactions reached 62,379, marking the highest weekly level since 2022 and a four-year high.
Developers currently plan to activate the next major upgrade, NU7, on November 5, with the testnet activation scheduled for October 6. The most anticipated change in this upgrade is the reduction in block time, decreasing the interval between batch confirmations from 75 seconds to 25 seconds.
According to the report, NU7 will also include deactivating v4 trading and integrating NSM-related features. Meanwhile, the halving mechanism will be retained, with plans to reintroduce the relevant arrangements starting in February 2031.
As of press time, Zcash has risen 5.76% over the past 24 hours to $15.96, with a cumulative increase of approximately 27% over the past week.