Zcash (ZEC)

Mixed picture for onchain fundamentals in Q1 2026: User-paid onchain fees are ~50% lower than last year, and 26% down QoQ. Value distributed to token holders remains stable, while the number of monetizing protocols has slightly declined for the first time. Sector changes: • Overall decrease purely driven by DeFi (-34%) incl. related infra, e.g. bridges -43% • Perps hit hardest (-36%), Stablecoin issuance up driven by @SkyEcosystem • Wallets -16%, Consumer -12%, though launchpads up 10%! • DePIN the only positive sector, +13% • Blockchains -5%, though @Zcash up 80% and @0xPolygon with +4x Fee shares broadly in line with '25 avg: Blockchains 21%, DEXs 24%. Same for cohort view: protocols that first monetized in '24 or '25 still generate ~47% of all fees. Protocol‑wise: @Zcash climbed to #2, @Pumpfun fees up. Biggest mover: @BagsApp (+180 ranks), though the Jan fee explosion is fading. @farcaster_xyz now #25 after folding in @clanker_world fees. • Protocols that stopped monetizing: @level, @elixir, @mars_pro

1/ $ZEC and the case for private digital money Financial privacy tends to matter more when technology changes how money moves. That happened with bank digitization. It happened again with the internet. AI + stablecoins may be the next phase. 🧵⬇️ https://t.co/H7Ur46QN9e

zcash will be best prepared for quantum and won't be close btw With quantum, there's not only a threat to stealing funds but also to breaking privacy and tracing past private activity. Due to the way most systems implement privacy, they are almost all vulnerable. zcash i) is the least vulnerable because of its zk design not leaking any details, ii) already has a quantum proofing roadmap in the works today to be ready by summer.

“Quantum-resistant” doesn’t mean future‑proof. Some chains are hedging. Some are rebuilding from zero. Only a few sit in potential 10x–50x territory if quantum pressure accelerates. → $ZEC → $CKB → $QRL → $QANX → $MCM → $CELL → $Q Here’s how the quantum‑resistant landscape really divides 👇 🔵 Zcash ( $ZEC ): Selective privacy, quantum‑aware • Focus / Use Case: Optional privacy using zero‑knowledge proofs, evolving toward quantum‑ready shielded transactions rather than full anonymity. • Architecture: zk‑SNARKs for private transactions Dual address model (transparent + shielded) Equihash PoW consensus Hybrid classical + post‑quantum cryptography introduced in 2025 • Network / Supply: Halving schedule + dev fund Shielded pool now 35%+ of supply, strengthening privacy sets Ongoing work toward unified, quantum‑ready addresses • 2025 Upgrades: Project Tachyon: hybrid signatures (classical + post‑quantum) Network upgrades focused on post‑quantum transition readiness and proof efficiency Zcash isn’t just

At one point in January, $ZEC accounted for 30% of all fees generated by L1s. - Generating ~$30M in fees - Those same fees are now down 90% - $ZEC is -50% YTD Either this is a golden opportunity, especially given the looming threat of quantum computing to privacy. Or it's so over.