Traders heavily shorted ZEC even as whale longs and liquidation pressure lifted prices higher.
Multicoin Capital co-founder Tushar Jain said the firm's recent investment in Zcash was driven by a convergence of stronger market traction, improving infrastructure and a broader return to crypto's privacy roots. Speaking on the latest Bankless podcast released May 19, Jain argued that Zcash has moved from a “left for dead” asset into a credible private store-of-value contender.
Zcash is seeing one of the strongest rallies in the crypto market after surging above the $600 region with aggressive bullish momentum returning to privacy-focused assets.
30-day performance: The privacy-focused crypto asset experienced a 90% rally over the past month. Locked supply volume: Network reports indicate that approximately 30% of Zcash's circulating supply is held in shielded pools. Growth against Bitcoin: The token's value in Bitcoin terms recorded a 20.5% advance following statements issued by derivatives sector analysts.
The Zcash Foundation closed the first quarter of 2026 with $36.7 million in net liquid assets and a clean bill of health from U.S. regulators, according to its Q1 2026 report released this week. Zcash Foundation Reports $36.
The ZEC technical structure continues to strengthen after breaking above a key macro resistance level that had capped price action for an extended period. Following a successful breakout above a long-standing descending trendline, the asset has continued to hold above key levels that previously served as strong resistance throughout the broader downtrend.
Zcash Foundation ended the first quarter of this year strong despite having a smaller budget than competitors.
ZEC price rises 10% to $564.30 after the SEC closes its Zcash Foundation probe with no enforcement action, as Zcash reports $36.7M in liquid assets.
BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has suggested that Zcash (ZEC) could eventually reach 10% of Bitcoin's market capitalization, a long-term bullish thesis on privacy coins rather than a near-term price forecast. Based on ZEC's circulating supply of around 16 million tokens, that scenario would imply a price in the high four-figure range, roughly $8,000–$10,000, depending on Bitcoin's valuation.
Zcash (ZEC) surged close to $580 on Tuesday after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially closed its investigation into the Zcash Foundation without taking enforcement action. The announcement boosted investor confidence and helped ZEC gain nearly 10% within 24 hours as traders returned to the privacy-focused cryptocurrency.
The $500 level is the line in the sand that ZEC needs to stay above to keep its bullish momentum going.
The Zcash Foundation spent roughly $817,000 running its operation in the first quarter. Payroll was the biggest line item.