The cryptocurrency Zcash (ZEC) has experienced a rapid increase, rising more than 150% since the beginning of April 2026. At its peak, the coin’s value exceeded $600, and the project’s market capitalization nearly reached $10 billion. During the first days of May, the growth was over 7%, marking one of the most significant movements in the cryptocurrency market this month.
This is reported by Finway
At the time of preparing this material, ZEC is trading around the $570 mark. The liquidation volumes of futures positions paired with ZEC exceeded $60 million in just one day, indicating increased volatility and trader activity in the market.
Factors Influencing Zcash’s Growth
Experts and market participants note that the strong rise in ZEC quotes occurred under the influence of several important factors. One key reason was the establishment of a large position by the Multicoin Capital fund, as confirmed by the company’s co-founder Tushar Jain. The listing of ZEC on the popular American broker Robinhood also had a significant impact, making the asset more accessible to a broader range of investors.
Analysts also highlight the development of the narrative surrounding the potential launch of an exchange-traded fund based on Zcash (ETF), particularly due to Grayscale’s application to convert the Zcash Trust into a spot ETF. An additional driver was the trend towards increasing the share of private coins, which led to a reduction in liquid supply in the market.
The Role of Regulatory Changes and Institutional Interest
Market insiders point out the conclusion of the SEC investigation into the Zcash Foundation without the imposition of sanctions, which positively affected trust in the project. Among the significant events, the launch of spot trading for ZEC on Robinhood and the opening of the institutional mining pool Foundry Digital are also noted.
A significant event was the raising of $25 million for the development of private financial infrastructure through the Zcash Open Development Lab. Additionally, the delisting of Monero from several European exchanges amid the implementation of MiCA regulation may have redirected some demand specifically to Zcash, as its optional privacy model allows it to remain listed on major exchanges.
“We believe that truly private, censorship-resistant, and non-seizable assets have clear market demand. And this demand is growing. In our opinion, ZEC is the purest way to realize this thesis in public markets,” he stated.
The combination of increasing institutional interest, positive changes in the regulatory environment, and supply constraints created favorable conditions for a powerful price rally of Zcash in May 2026.