Zcash Shielded News | Vol.49 🛡️
Zashi CrossPay, ZCG Guidance for Non-Technical Proposals, ZCG Updates, Town Hall: Coinholder Directed Retroactive Grants, ECC Updates & Other Updates.
Zcash Shielded News is a community article format based on the weekly Zcash Ecosystem Digest Newsletter.
Providing insight on current events and informing the community about important news in the Zcash ecosystem.
Check out the best Highlights below!
Fact of the Week: Ceremony 💡
When Zcash launched in 2016, the creation of its initial key, known as “The Ceremony”, involved people around the world physically destroying their key fragments (using fire, shredders, even metal-cutting machines) to ensure no one could ever recreate the master key.
📩 IN TODAY’S EDITION
🔒 Private cross-chain payments with Zashi CrossPay
• A new era of privacy: now you can send private payments in different cryptocurrencies directly through the Zashi Wallet.
📝 ZCG guidance for non-technical proposals
• The committee shared tips to help the community submit stronger applications aligned with funding priorities.
👤 ZCG meeting notes
• A recap of the latest meeting with key decisions and updates on ongoing proposals.
🏛️ Town Hall: CoinHolder Directed Grants & the future of Zcash
• A community call with leaders from ECC, ZF, and Shielded Labs discussing the new funding model.
🚀 “Chasing the Chasm” - ECC update
• The latest moves from ECC and what’s coming next to strengthen the ecosystem.
📌 Other updates
• Quick highlights and smaller news to keep you fully up to date
Last week the community went wild with the launch of the new CrossPay feature in the Zashi Wallet.
This is already the second big milestone in less than a month, right after the release of decentralized swaps through NEAR Protocol, no KYC, no barriers, just pure freedom.
With Zashi CrossPay, you can now make private payments in any NEAR-supported cryptocurrency, from stablecoins to BTC, ETH, or SOL, no exchanges, no extra apps, and always private by default. 🔒
Your payment details stay hidden and untraceable, giving you the freedom to choose how you pay without compromising privacy or security 🙌.
With CrossPay, Zcash’s best-in-class privacy extends across blockchains — bringing us closer to a world where private payments are the norm, not the exception.
Huge kudos to the ECC team for pushing Zashi forward and making private payments simple, powerful, and accessible for everyone! 👏
Before we dive into the latest ZCG meeting updates, we want to highlight a recent note about future development applications.
Lately, the committee has noticed that some non-technical proposals don’t really match ZCG’s funding priorities or are missing key details, which ends up slowing down progress compared to other proposals.
To help improve applications, ZCG recommends that proposals cover a few key points:
Clearly state the problem being addressed and why it matters.
Present a concrete solution with activities and deliverables.
Explain the impact on Zcash adoption, awareness, or utility.
Provide the team’s background, past successes, and partner roles.
Include a transparent budget, timeline, and milestones.
Define success criteria and show how the project will be sustainable after funding.
Another important piece of advice: If you are new, consider starting with opportunities like the ZecHub bounty program, where you can earn ZEC by contributing to smaller projects, or by seeking community donations on Free2Z.
For more details, read the full note.
Participants 👥
Alex (FPF resource, notetaker)
Open Grants 🔓
🔹 Zcash East Africa Meetup | $1,000
Goal: Host events/workshops in East Africa to teach about Zcash, privacy, and zero-knowledge proofs.
ZCG Feedback: Liked the idea, but want proof of real audience + detailed post-event reports (photos, metrics, testimonials). Suggested connecting with ZecHub.
Status: Rejected (but could be reconsidered with stronger execution). ❌
🔹 ShapeShift Integration | $50,000
Goal: Add full Zcash support to ShapeShift’s multichain app + improve liquidity/trading via Maya Protocol. Covers wallet integration (desktop/web/iOS/Android) + marketing.
ZCG Feedback: Interested, but questioned costs ($36k infra + $14k marketing). Asked if marketing is necessary and why infra costs so high.
Status: Approved after some clarifications. ✅
ZecHub Note: A conversation has recently started with hPayne to begin planning how to expand the reach of both projects through this partnership. 🦊🦓
🔹 Web3 Outreach Initiative | $20,000
Goal: Build an AI agent marketplace demo, make dev tutorials, and host a big event in Nigeria to show off Zcash in Web3.
ZCG Feedback: Not a fit right now. Team respected for education work, but proposal doesn’t match Zcash’s current ecosystem needs.
Suggested joining ZecHub for bounties instead.Status: Rejected. ❌
🔹 ZecSplit | $47,500
Goal: Build a bill-splitting app (iOS + Android) with shielded payments through Zashi. Makes group expense sharing easier with ZEC.
ZCG Feedback: Cool idea, but too expensive + separate apps are less useful. Better if built into existing wallets or offered as a dev library/SDK. Suggested hackathon/ZecHub participation.
Status: Rejected.
🔹 Zaino (for Zallet Release) | $69,811
Goal: Upgrade Zaino (Rust indexer) to production-ready, supporting projects like Zallet, ZecRocks, and Zingolib. Improves stability, efficiency, and helps with Zcashd deprecation.
ZCG Feedback: Seen as urgent and necessary for the ecosystem. Members generally supportive, leaning toward approval.
Status: Approved. ✅
Brainstorm Session Follow-Ups 💡
Ledger
The Ledger legal team is reviewing the grant application for submission and KYC details. On the product side, work is focused on specs for account support and shielded balance retrieval.
Engineering is evaluating native SDKs for Ledger Live Mobile, while Desktop relies on WebZ.js.
Dark Prague
Zcash Community Grants is sponsoring the event, with Frank Braun presenting on Zcash and joining a panel on L1 privacy.
Team members from Zashi, ZCG, ZecHub, and the Zcash Foundation will attend. As part of the sponsorship, ZCG has a booth, and the Zashi team will share swag and help onboard new users.
Multifactor change request
The team requested to shift two deliverables (MFCHF and MFDPG) from milestone 1 to milestone 2, keeping six total deliverables in milestone 1.
This change allows them to focus on MFKDF priorities while still covering all implementations. With this adjustment, they can request payout for the revised milestone 1. ZCG approved the change.
Last Friday, we hosted Electric Coin Co. (Josh), Zcash Foundation (Alex), and ShieldedLabs (Jason) for another Town Hall, where we discussed the new CoinHolder Directed Grants funding system for Zcash.
Quick note: Last year, we held other Town Halls to define the funding system that was implemented this year. If you’re curious, here’s the link.
The Community Call lasted 42 minutes and was joined by several community members. We’ll share the recording at the end of this post in case you’d like to dive deeper into everything that was covered. Below, we’ve summarized the Q&A moments.
Key Topics & Takeaways
Why Protocol-Funded Grants?
Zcash funds development directly through block rewards to stay aligned with the community instead of outside investors. Historically, 20% of rewards went to ongoing development, and now efforts are shifting to make funding more decentralized and competitive.
What is the Coinholder Directed Retroactive Grants Program?
It is a new model where coinholders vote on grants for completed work, not just proposals. 12% of block rewards will support this program, with 8% going to Zcash Community Grants (ZCG). Funds are managed via a multisig wallet held by Shielded Labs, ECC, and the Zcash Foundation, with veto rights to prevent harm to the protocol.
How Does Retroactive Funding Work?
Teams deliver work first and apply for funding afterward. This ensures proven results, cuts down on admin overhead, and complements existing options like ZCG and ZecHub. It’s seen as more efficient and inclusive, though it requires upfront investment from teams.
What Are the Challenges and Opportunities?
Retroactive grants may not work for everyone since funding comes after the work. The process is also more public and less consultative. Still, the quarterly voting cycle helps coinholders compare projects and make informed choices.
How Does the Voting Process Work?
Proposals are submitted by a deadline (e.g., Oct 12). There’s a 30-day review, then registration and voting. Voting requires coins in the Orchard pool and a dedicated app (still being improved). Participation has been growing massively with each round.
What About Network Upgrades and Governance?
The upcoming NU6.1 will enable a one-time payout from the funding lockbox. Future upgrades, including NU7, are in planning. The community can shape decisions through the ZIP process, keeping governance open and collaborative.
How Can the Community Get Involved?
Plenty of ways: Discord, Telegram (@Zcash_Community), Twitter, and the Zcash Community Forum. Volunteers are especially needed to run voting authorities and keep the process strong. Feedback is always welcome.
Are There Incentives to Participate?
Yes, bounties and rewards are being considered for those who run light wallet servers or voting authorities — helping grow engagement in the ecosystem.
You’ll find the timestamps in the description of this video.
Any topic in mind that you’d like to see covered in the Community Town Hall? Let us know! 🫡
This week, Josh announced the launch of a portal connecting anyone who values financial privacy with the world. Powered by NEAR intents and Zashi, the platform makes ZEC easy to use and helps drive mainstream adoption.
Zashi CrossPay lets users pay in any currency using shielded ZEC while keeping their balance and transaction history private. Josh also emphasized ECC's mission to take Zcash "across the chasm", aligning with market momentum and delivering unique value.
📖 Recommended reading → forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/crossing-the-chasm-ecc-update/52219
🔎 Diving into ECC updates
Zashi
Last week
ECC launched CrossPay to production with a new explainer.,
Mempool detection implementation.,
Maya DEX integration designs.,
Sync with the dKIT team.,
Next up
Finalize Swap Detail for Beta.
Adopt confirmation configurability from the Core Team & advance key designs.
Transaction Detail update.
Duress/Decoy Wallet.
Transparent Address Rotation & Ledger Support.
Analytics:
IOS
Unique Installs: 10.4k (prev. 10.2k)
Total Downloads: 12.4k (prev. 12.2k)
AppStore Rating: 4.9*
🤖 Android
Total Install Base: 4.19k (prev. 4.09k)
Total Installs (incl. Open Beta): 23k (prev.22.7k)
Playstore Rating: 4.333*
Zcash Core Updates 🦓
Last week:
Released Zallet alpha.
Published protocol spec 2025.6.0 (NU6.1) – only lockbox address pending.
Advanced zcash_script refactor.
Next up
Generate Mainnet lockbox address.
Release Zcashd with NU6.1.
Draft NU7 ZIPs (Quantum Resilience, Key Rotation, Lockbox),
Enable transparent key rotation for swaps/Coinbase.
Address Zallet alpha feedback.
Other 🌐
Hosted the PGP* meeting on Wednesday with strong in-person turnout and 1k+ livestream views. ECC and Zcash had a strong brand presence
See highlights:Paul Brigner attended the inaugural Fiternet Labs dinner.
Tony Margaret led the Blockchain Association TAB Working Group Meeting & Presentation.
Finalized ECC's coinholder grant application for H1 2025. It will be posted this week.
As we mentioned, Josh joined the Town Hall last Friday. 👆
Zcash Global Turkish Q3–Q4 Report — Batuhan
45K+ impressions, 1.6K engagements across socials. Instagram Reels driving growth; Telegram at 181 members aiming for 200+. First Live X Event a success, now moving to weekly streams. Focus on Zbase content with Zcash branding to boost community reach and quality.
Grant Proposal: Zcash Arabia Q4 — @ZArabia
ZcashArabia is launching a $10,000 initiative to build an Arabic-speaking Zcash community in MENA. The project focuses on education through the Arabic Zcash Academy, community growth with events and AMAs, and developer training. The goal is to boost awareness, wallet usage, and adoption, making Zcash the leading privacy coin in the region.
Z3 (Zcashd Deprecation) | September 19th
Outreach has resumed with the NU friction survey still open and Zallet Alpha outreach pending ECC’s signal. The Zebra team is making solid progress on RPC methods, testing, and CI refactoring, with great external contributions. ZingoLabs is focused on Zallet–Zaino integration, documentation, and use cases to replace lightwalletd. Big news: Zallet v0.1.0-alpha.1 has been released, a huge milestone for the team. Block explorer support is in testing, though progressing slower as integration takes priority.