Article five
The introduction
2016 – The launch
In October 2016, the Zcash (ZEC) currency was officially launched, becoming one of the first currencies to focus on privacy using zk‑SNARKs technology. This technology allowed for the complete concealment of transaction data, with the option for transparent transactions to comply with exchanges. At launch, the currency experienced an exceptional price peak of about 3572 dollars before quickly dropping as stable trading began.
2018 – Privacy enhancements
In June 2018, the Overwinter upgrade was introduced to secure future update mechanisms. Then in October 2018, the Sapling upgrade was launched, significantly reducing the cost of creating shielded transactions, facilitating wallet usage, and enabling practical privacy on a wider scale.
2020 – Maturity and sustainable financing
In mid-2020, the Heartwood upgrade was added to enhance integration with external services and improve mining. In November of the same year, the Canopy upgrade coincided with the first Halving event, where the block reward was reduced and a developers' fund was established to ensure the long-term sustainability of network development.
2022 – A new technological leap
In May 2022, the NU5 upgrade was launched, introducing the Halo 2 protocol, which eliminates the need for a trusted setup. This technological leap enhanced the network's security and expanded privacy across the Orchard network, making Zcash more robust and secure.
2024 – The historical low
In July 2024, the price of ZEC recorded a historical low of about 17.48 dollars, the lowest level since its launch. This decline came as a result of a long downward cycle in the market, before a new upward wave began later.
2025 – The upward cycle and volatility
In November 2025, the currency experienced strong increases ranging between 400–700 dollars, with daily trading volumes reaching billions of dollars. However, in December 2025, the spot price fell to about 313.66 euros (≈ 340 dollars), with a daily decline of nearly -19.9%. The market at this stage is characterized by high volatility, with "extreme fear" indicators, although some technical analyses predict a new rise towards ~776 dollars by the end of the month.
Conclusion
Since its launch in 2016, Zcash has gone through a clear timeline: an exceptional launch peak, successive technical upgrades (Overwinter, Sapling, Heartwood, Canopy, NU5), a historical low in 2024, and then a strong upward cycle in 2025 with sharp fluctuations. This sequence illustrates how ZEC has combined technical innovation and cryptocurrency economics, remaining today a prominent example of privacy coins affected by market cycles and regulatory frameworks.
References and sources
- CoinMarketCap: Historical price data since launch in 2016, with details of open/high/low/close and market capitalization.
- Investing.com: Daily data for ZEC/USD pairs on the Binance platform, including prices and daily changes.
- CoinCodex: Market forecasts for December 2025, including fear/greed indicators and expected price movements.
- Changelly: Future analyses and price forecasts for ZEC in the short and medium term.
- Binance: Price forecasts for ZEC for the period 2025–2030, with market trend analysis.
- 99Bitcoins: A review of the historical performance of the currency and clarification of its role in the privacy market.
The brief forecasts for Zcash (ZEC) during the year 2026
December 2025 (current situation):
- The spot price ~340 dollars.
- The market is in a high volatility state with "extreme fear" indicators.
- Very short expected range: 300–500 dollars.
June 2026 (after 6 months):
- Relative stability after the upward/downward cycle in 2025.
- The possibility of entering a consolidation phase with an average price range: 500–700 dollars.
- It depends on the continuation of liquidity and the absence of negative regulatory events.
December 2026 (after 12 months):
- With the completion of a full year cycle after the low in 2024 and the rise in 2025, a higher price range is expected.
- Estimate: 700–900 dollars if the demand for digital privacy continues.
- The market may enter a new upward phase before the upcoming Halving in 2028.
The temporal summary for the year 2026
- Short-term (December 2025): 300–500$.
- Average (June 2026): 500–700$.
- Long-term (December 2026): 700–900$.
The expected conclusion was based on the collection of technical events and historical prices from 2016 to 2025.
Then, identify the cyclical pattern (peak → decline → bottom → rise) and link it to upgrades and Halving.
Finally, a time division (short, medium, long) to deduce the expected price range for each period.
