Zcash (ZEC) traded above $1,500 on Friday, extending a sharp September advance that has lifted the privacy-focused cryptocurrency into the top 10 digital assets by market value.
As per CoinGecko data, ZEC spot quotes clustered near $1,509–$1,513 as of 5:55 AM UTC on September 18, with 24-hour gains of about 11% after the token cleared the $1,500 level during the prior session. Its circulating supply is about 16.87 million ZEC against a 21 million cap, putting market capitalization near $25.5 billion.
The move followed several days of elevated volume and a string of project-specific developments rather than a single headline. ZEC had already climbed from levels near $1,300 earlier in the week but it remains well below its October 2016 peak near $5,942—as shown in the TradingView chart. Price data can differ across venues and change quickly.
Coinholders back faster blocks and Bitcoin-style halvings
A privacy-preserving coinholder vote on Network Upgrade 7 closed this week with high participation. About 2.4 million ZEC voted, roughly two-thirds of the eligible Ironwood-pool supply at the August snapshot. Holders backed cutting target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds by 99.9% and keeping scheduled halvings rather than smoothing issuance by 98.9%. Ecosystem teams later outlined a path toward testnet work in October and a possible mainnet window in November, subject to implementation and a final height decision.
The result reinforced Zcash’s existing monetary design while promising shorter confirmation times. Separate ecosystem coverage has tracked how the vote sat alongside earlier Ironwood work on shielded-pool integrity.
ETF inflows and a public Paradigm disclosure
Institutional access widened after The Zcash ETF (ZCSH) listed on NYSE Arca on August 25. Grayscale’s product page showed assets under management of about $843 million as of September 17, after earlier growth past $500 million and $727 million on successive days. The vehicle holds ZEC and is not a 1940 Act registered fund.
On September 16, Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang posted that the firm is an investor in ZEC and the Zcash Open Development Lab, describing Zcash as a “private complement to Bitcoin” and supporting an inflation-funded developer fund. The comment did not disclose position size. The same week, the Federal Reserve raised its funds-rate target by 25 basis points to 3.75%–4.00%, its first hike since 2023. Broader crypto prices were mixed; ZEC still outperformed.
Author Note: ZEC remains volatile. Governance timelines can slip, ETF flows can reverse, and privacy assets face ongoing listing and regulatory scrutiny. None of the events above guarantees further gains.
Also read: Ric Edelman Says Bitcoin Price Could Reach $500,000 by 2030
