TL;DR
- ZEC reached $1,388 on Thursday and gained 10.9% on the day, while its 30-day advance hit 168% and market capitalization rose to $22.9 billion.
- Coinholders voted 98.9% to preserve Bitcoin-style halvings, with 2.4 million ZEC participating and turnout reaching 66% of the eligible shielded pool.
- NU7 voting also backed 25-second blocks and a February 2031 sustainability mechanism timeline, while Zcash’s broader rally has coincided with renewed institutional and privacy-focused interest.
Zcash pushed toward the $1,400 mark on Thursday after coinholders delivered a decisive vote on the shape of the privacy network’s next upgrade. ZEC reached $1,388 before trading near $1,368, up 10.9% on the day and 168% over 30 days, while its market capitalization climbed to $22.9 billion, making ZEC the ninth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. The rally arrived as the NU7 process reinforced Zcash’s Bitcoin-style monetary structure instead of replacing halvings with smoother issuance. The token has now risen more than 2,500% over the past year, extending a dramatic recovery following July’s Ironwood upgrade.
NU7 Vote Preserves Halvings While Setting a Clearer Upgrade Path
Five questions covering NU7 went to coinholders, with participation reaching 66% of the eligible pool and 2.4 million ZEC cast. Eligibility was based on spendable shielded ZEC held in the Ironwood pool at block 3,459,350 on August 24, using one coin for one vote. Encrypted ballots were divided into 16 unlinkable pieces to protect voter privacy. Coinholders backed the continuation of Bitcoin-style halvings with 98.9% support, preserving the network’s established issuance rhythm. They also supported 25-second blocks, immediate retirement of the legacy Sprout pool and limiting the upgrade’s scope to features ready by September 30.
The vote was less aligned on the network sustainability mechanism, which would recycle fees back to miners. Coinholders selected February 2031 as the starting point with 96.6% support, while advisory panels preferred implementation as soon as possible. Shielded Labs, Project Tachyon, ZODL, the Zcash Foundation and Valar Group subsequently aligned around February 2031 as the most conservative reading of the result, while leaving room for another vote. The framework therefore reflects strong holder preference, despite disagreement among advisory groups. That compromise gives NU7 a clearer direction while preserving the possibility that the community revisits the timeline later.
Zcash’s rally is also unfolding alongside renewed institutional and privacy-focused attention. Roxana Nasoi of Logos linked part of the token’s more than 2,500% annual rise to last month’s launch of a Grayscale ETF, while HashKey researcher Tim Sun said interest in privacy coins has increased since the fund debuted. The market narrative has increasingly shifted from pure anonymity toward financial privacy and confidentiality. That backdrop follows July’s Ironwood upgrade, which addressed a four-year-old flaw that could have enabled counterfeit ZEC and added quantum-resistant transaction records after the disclosure initially sent ZEC down 38%.