Zcash to Introduce Quantum-Resistant Wallets

Zcash to launch quantum-resistant wallets within a month, says founder Josh Swihart.

The Zcash team is set to unveil wallets with recovery mechanisms against quantum threats within a month. This announcement was made by Josh Swihart, founder and CEO of Zcash Open Development Lab, at the Consensus conference, as reported by CoinDesk. 

According to him, the complete transition of the network to post-quantum standards will take 12-18 months. Separately, the project is working on scaling to Mastercard and Visa-level throughput within a similar timeframe.

Swihart stated that Zcash aims to return the industry to the original idea of private peer-to-peer payments. He noted that Bitcoin functions well as a store of value and ETF instrument, but is “fundamentally broken” as a confidential settlement system due to its fully transparent ledger.

Open balances allow governments and other participants to track users’ assets and potentially apply seizure mechanisms or pressure, the expert emphasized. 

Zcash Rally

Over the past week, the price of ZEC has risen by more than 60%. On May 6, the asset’s rate exceeded $585 for the first time since November 2025. 

At the time of writing, the coin is trading around $571 (-0.1% for the day). 

A driving factor was a statement by Multicoin Capital co-founder Tushar Jain: since February, the fund has formed a “significant position” in Zcash. 

An additional factor is the growth of ZEC’s shielded supply. Currently, about 30% of coins in circulation are in the private pool — a historical maximum for the network. 

According to Swihart, user demand is channeled through the mobile wallet Zodl (formerly Zashi). In October, it integrated an intent system from the NEAR protocol. This allowed for the direct exchange of Bitcoin, Solana, USDC, and other assets into shielded ZEC. 

🛡️ The Zolana Bridge is live.

Your Intent: $ZEC on Solana.

Delivered: with NEAR Intents + OmniBridge powering Zcash’s $ZEC token on Solana. pic.twitter.com/cXBqgCXXTK

— NEAR Protocol (@NEARProtocol) October 16, 2025

Since its launch, approximately $700 million has passed through this route — primarily between USD, USDC, and ZEC. 

Accelerating Block Processing and New Bridges

The Zcash community is actively discussing reducing block processing time from 75 to 25 seconds. This is expected to enhance the network’s convenience for payments and expand possibilities for mass settlement scenarios.

Cross-chain bridges for Zcash in Solana and Hyperliquid are already operational, noted Helius founder Mert Mumtaz. 

Swihart announced a voting mechanism for ZEC holders via Zodl. This tool will not replace formal governance but will create an additional feedback channel within the “rough consensus” model.

Back in December 2025, Barry Silbert, founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group, predicted a shift in focus from Bitcoin towards Zcash.