Zcash Reaches New Milestones as Miner and Investor Sentiment Recovers

In March, the Zcash network achieved historic highs, with both hashrate and shielded supply reaching record levels. The network’s hashrate surged to 16.54 GS/s, reflecting increased participation from miners and growing confidence in Zcash’s long-term prospects. Analysts suggest that renewed demand could help ZEC recover some of the losses it has experienced since the start of the year.

At the same time, the total amount of ZEC held in the shielded pool climbed from 5 million to 5.15 million, representing roughly 31% of the circulating supply. This increase highlights growing adoption of Zcash’s privacy features, as funds in the shielded pool are obscured from external observers, providing enhanced confidentiality for users.

Community sentiment has also improved. Data from LunarCrush shows that positive sentiment reached 88% this week, while Zcash’s AltRank jumped to #10 from an average of 522. Average daily trading volumes increased 34% week-over-week, reaching $486 million, demonstrating heightened engagement from both retail and institutional participants.

Several developments may have fueled this renewed interest. Foundry Digital, operator of the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pool, announced plans to launch an institutional-grade Zcash mining pool. Meanwhile, the Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL), established in early 2026, secured $25 million in funding from Paradigm, Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, and other institutional investors. These initiatives have eased earlier concerns following the departure of the entire former Electric Coin Company development team.

Some analysts remain optimistic about ZEC’s outlook, suggesting that if the current momentum continues, the price could approach $400. Currently, ZEC trades around $268, having recovered nearly 40% in March, but it remains more than 60% below its November peak of $750.