- Zcash price is down today as a trader unshielded over 200,000 ZEC in a rare start to the new year.
- With more institutions growing fond of ZEC, the market is expecting a positive price action soon.
Privacy coin Zcash (ZEC) is facing selling pressure due to a recent decision from some traders with big exposure to the altcoin. This concern comes as traders have unshielded 200,000 ZEC tokens with just 5 days into the new year.
How 200,000 ZEC Unshielded Can Impact Price
According to data from Arkham Intelligence, a trader withdrew 202,076 ZEC from shielded pools. This amount translated to roughly 1.2% of the ZEC circulating supply.
As a result of this move, the amount of ZEC held in shielded pools dropped sharply. The total, which peaked above 5 million at the end of 2025, has fallen to around 4.86 million ZEC.
In a recent study, we reported that the rise in shielded transactions suggested many users preferred personal control over exchange convenience. It also reflected a wider change among digital asset owners who choose direct ownership. Now the reverse appears to be the case, with more than 200,000 ZEC unshielded.
For context, unshielding refers to the process of converting funds from shielded pools, which protect privacy, to transparent pools. Crypto traders do this to gain access to a trading platform.
Per the Arkham data, the ZEC holder deposited into shielded pools just over two weeks earlier, before unshielding the funds.
It also showed that deposits into shielded pools are no longer accelerating, as they did in Q3 2025. Although this does not confirm a reversal, it suggests that bullish sentiment is no longer strong.
Intriguingly, a whale investor recently deposited 74,002 ZEC, valued at about $35.75 million, to Binance, as revealed by Lookonchain.
Whales Not Betting on Zcash | Source: Lookonchain on X
This transaction happened only one day after the large unshielding event. Accordingly, many investors claim it is a sign of preparation for selling.
ZEC Price Performance and What Next
The price of ZEC has dropped approximately 7% from $530 to $490. This decline comes despite the altcoin market cap jumping from $825 billion to $885 billion.
Many now question whether investors are abandoning expectations for ZEC in favor of other altcoins.
Other privacy coins, such as Monero (XMR) and Dash (DASH), have also underperformed the broader market. This trend makes privacy the weakest-performing sector, according to Artemis.
At the time of writing, data shows ZEC has a price of $489.8, down 3.6% in the past 24 hours. Despite this, the privacy coin has jumped 11% in trading volume to $527.6 million.
Additionally, Grayscale recently highlighted Zcash as a promising privacy coin. Grayscale expects the sector to grow stronger in 2026, as mentioned in our previous news brief.
Aligning with its expectation, Grayscale earlier filed to list a Zcash ETF on NYSE Arca with the ticker ZCSH.
Moreover, Zashi, the main wallet used across the Zcash ecosystem, has introduced version 2.4.9. The update leans on stronger privacy, smoother performance, and a cleaner overall layout.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
BitMine Stock Price Surges 16%: Ethereum Price Mismatch Creates Arbitrage Window, $24 Becomes Key Watershed
BitMine (BMNR) stock price has surged recently, with a single-day gain of nearly 14% on March 16, closely related to its held Ethereum assets. However, BMNR and Ethereum show a phase mismatch, leading to short-term decoupling. Institutional funds are arbitraging this opportunity, with significantly increased trading volume. The technical side shows positive signals, but key resistance is around the $24 level, with attention needed on breakthrough performance at this level and subsequent price action.
GateNews8m ago
Citi significantly lowers Bitcoin and Ethereum target prices, with policy delays constraining upside potential
Citigroup has lowered its 12-month target prices for Bitcoin and Ethereum to $112,000 and $3,175 respectively, mainly due to the slower-than-expected progress of U.S. policy initiatives. Although the target prices have been reduced, both assets still have room for upward movement. The market's diminished expectations for demand growth make the sustainability of capital inflows a critical factor. If regulatory conditions improve, the target prices may be raised; otherwise, the downward adjustment will be justified.
GateNews14m ago
Mainstream CEX and DEX funding rates show the market remains bearish
On March 18, Gate News reported that as Bitcoin dipped slightly, the funding rates across major CEX and DEX platforms show the market is broadly bearish, indicating that market sentiment remains skewed to the downside.
GateNews14m ago
U.S. stocks strengthen but crypto concept stocks diverge, with Bitcoin's high-level fluctuations suppressing the performance of COIN and MSTR
The US stock market rose slightly driven by macroeconomic data and corporate earnings, with investors showing increased risk appetite for equities. Cryptocurrency-related stocks showed mixed performance, with COIN and MSTR trading characteristics closely tied to Bitcoin price fluctuations. Despite overall strength in US equities and rapid capital inflows, crypto stocks will continue to exhibit high volatility if Bitcoin fails to establish a trending rally.
GateNews18m ago
Bitcoin inflows to exchanges reach a new high, with $75,000 becoming a key resistance level
As the crypto market rebounds, on-chain capital inflows to Bitcoin have significantly increased, reaching the highest levels, indicating the market may face selling pressure. Meanwhile, prices are approaching short-term resistance zones, and macro interest rate policies remain a key factor. Market expectations for rate cuts have cooled, which could constrain risk assets.
GateNews44m ago
Grayscale Research Head Points to XRP Being Undervalued, Valuations Expected to Correct Rapidly After Regulatory Clarity
Grayscale Research Head Zach Pandl pointed out that XRP's market price does not reflect its actual utility, primarily due to regulatory uncertainty affecting its valuation. Once the CLARITY Act establishes clear cryptocurrency asset regulations, XRP is expected to be repriced. Additionally, growing market demand for the GXRP Trust product shows that institutional investors are positioning early, anticipating market opportunities following regulatory clarity.
MarketWhisper1h ago
