Zcash hub

Zcash (ZEC): what it is and how to use it privately

Zcash is a proof of work coin with two sides on one chain: public transparent payments and encrypted shielded payments. This page covers how it works, the pools after the 2026 Ironwood upgrade, wallets, and how to get and keep ZEC privately.

What Zcash is

Zcash launched on 28 October 2016. It is a proof of work coin with a hard cap of 21 million ZEC, like Bitcoin.
Shielded payments use zero knowledge proofs, so the network can check a payment is valid without seeing the sender, the receiver or the amount.
Transparent payments work like Bitcoin: everything is public. Both kinds live on the same chain, so ZEC is private only when it is shielded.
Shielded payments carry an encrypted memo, and a viewing key lets you show your payments to someone you choose, such as an accountant.

Key facts

Ticker: ZEC
Launched: 28 October 2016
Maximum supply: 21 million ZEC
Block time: 75 seconds
Block reward: 1.5625 ZEC since the halving of 23 November 2024 (block 2,726,400)
Next halving: About four years later, around late 2028
Open shielded pools: Sapling and Ironwood (Ironwood since 28 July 2026)
Address types: t1 or t3 (transparent), zs1 (Sapling), u1 (unified)

Transparent and shielded ZEC

Transparent addresses start with t1 or t3. The sender, the receiver, the amount and the balance are public.
Shielded addresses keep that information encrypted. Sapling addresses start with zs1. Unified addresses start with u1 and bundle several receivers, always with at least one shielded one.
Moving ZEC into a pool (shielding) or out of it (deshielding) shows the amount. Shielded to shielded payments hide the addresses and the amount.
The habit that matters: shield once, then pay from the shielded balance.

How to shield Zcash, step by step

The Ironwood upgrade (2026)

A flaw in the Orchard proof circuit was found in May 2026 and fixed in June. Developers found no sign that it was used, but a shielded pool cannot prove that from the chain alone.
Ironwood (NU6.3) activated on 28 July 2026 at block 3,428,143 and added a fresh shielded pool. Your unified address stays the same: payments to its Orchard receiver now land in Ironwood.
Funds still in Orchard can leave only through the turnstile, to Ironwood or to a transparent address, and each exit shows its amount. Good wallets split the move into standard amounts over time.

Zcash wallets

Use a wallet that is shielded by default and updated for Ironwood. Check the wallet’s own notes before you move funds.

Zodl
Formerly Zashi. A shielded by default mobile wallet from the team that left the Electric Coin Company in January 2026.
Cake Wallet
A multi-coin mobile wallet with Zcash and Monero. It moves Orchard funds to Ironwood by itself, in parts.
Others
ZecHub, a community education site, keeps a list of wallets and the pools each one supports.

Whatever wallet you use, write down its seed phrase and keep it offline. Anyone who sees it can spend your ZEC.

How to get ZEC with no account

Pick Bitcoin (or another coin you hold) as the coin you send and ZEC as the coin you get.
Paste a Zcash address from your own wallet. A new t1 address works everywhere; a unified or Sapling address skips the transparent step when the swap supports it.
Add a refund address for the coin you send, then send the exact amount in one transaction.
When the ZEC arrives at a transparent address, shield it once in your wallet and keep it shielded.

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Zcash and Monero

Monero is private for every payment by default. Zcash is private when you use shielded addresses, and can also run public payments.
Zcash keeps a fixed 21 million cap. Monero has a small permanent tail emission of 0.6 XMR per block.
Both are treated as privacy coins by exchanges and regulators, so the same delisting pressure applies to both.

Zcash vs Monero, in detail

Exchanges and rules

Our delisting tracker lists 13 sourced entries that include ZEC: exchanges that dropped it, regions where it was removed, and rules that bind exchanges. From 10 July 2027, regulated crypto firms in the EU may not handle privacy coins for clients. Coins in your own wallet are a different matter.

ZEC on the delisting tracker EU privacy coin rule, 10 July 2027

Questions about Zcash

Is Zcash private?

Shielded Zcash is: the sender, the receiver and the amount are encrypted. Transparent Zcash is public, like Bitcoin. Keep your ZEC in a shielded pool and pay from there.

Is Zcash anonymous by default?

No. A transparent address is public. Most wallets today are shielded by default and shield incoming transparent funds for you, but you should check that yours does.

How many Zcash coins will there ever be?

At most 21 million ZEC. The block reward halves about every four years; it has been 1.5625 ZEC since the halving of 23 November 2024.

When is the next Zcash halving?

About four years after the last one, so around late 2028. The exact date depends on block times.

What is Ironwood?

A new shielded pool that activated on 28 July 2026 (NU6.3), after a flaw in the Orchard proof circuit was found and fixed. Payments to a unified address now land in Ironwood, and Orchard funds leave through a turnstile.

Which Zcash wallet should I use?

One that is shielded by default and updated for Ironwood, such as Zodl or Cake Wallet. Check the wallet’s own notes, and keep your seed phrase offline.

How do I get Zcash without an account?

Swap another coin to ZEC on HiddenSwap: no account, no email and no ID. You give the address for your ZEC and a refund address, send the exact amount, and follow the swap with your order ID.

Is Zcash being banned in the EU?

From 10 July 2027, regulated crypto firms in the EU may not keep accounts for privacy coins such as ZEC. The rule sets duties for those firms; it does not address coins people hold in their own wallets.