TLDR
- Zcash processed 62,375 shielded transactions last week, its highest weekly total since 2022.
- Weekly Zcash transfer volume reached $23.88 billion, ranking among the network’s largest historical totals.
- ZEC trades near $1,500, up about 193% year to date and more than 2,470% over the past year.
- Shielded activity accelerated sharply after remaining between roughly 8,000 and 12,000 weekly transactions for much of early 2026.
- The 2022 comparison needs context because a spam attack inflated earlier shielded transaction activity, making future weekly data important.
Zcash has recorded the strongest gains among large cryptocurrencies over the past year. ZEC trades near $1,500, up 193% in 2026 and more than 2,470% year over year. The rally has also arrived alongside a sharp rise in private network activity.
Zcash Shielded Transactions Reach 2022 Levels
Zcash processed 62,375 shielded transactions last week, the highest weekly total since 2022, according to Blockworks data. The network also settled $23.88 billion in transfer volume, placing the week among the largest periods of activity in its history.
Shielded transactions remained mostly flat from January through July, ranging between 8,000 and 12,000 each week. Activity then accelerated in August, moved near 48,000 in early September, and reached the latest peak as ZEC continued climbing.
Private Activity Rises With Network Changes
The increase comes as developers prepare the NU7 network upgrade, which targets a November 5 mainnet launch after an October testnet. The planned changes include faster 25-second blocks, following a community vote that strongly backed the shorter block time.
Shielded transfers use zero-knowledge proofs to conceal sender, receiver, and transaction amounts. Transparent ZEC transfers remain publicly visible. This difference makes shielded transaction counts useful for tracking private network use separately from exchange trading activity.
ZEC Volume Climbs With Market Demand
Zcash transfer volume reached $23.88 billion last week, roughly double the prior week and more than twice the peak recorded during the late-2025 rally. Higher ZEC prices lift the dollar value of transfers, so volume alone does not show how much network use changed.
Market activity has also expanded around ZEC. Recent reports noted a Grayscale Zcash ETF share split after strong fund activity, while spot trading volume reached about $1.97 billion over 24 hours. These figures show that trading demand remains elevated alongside onchain activity.
Earlier Record Came During Spam Attack
The 2022 shielded transaction record needs context because a spam attack flooded Zcash pools with low-value transactions. Developers later changed the fee model to make similar activity more costly. Recent Zcash mining activity has also risen as higher token prices improved mining economics.
Weekly data can still change quickly. Shielded transactions fell to about 28,000 in the week of September 7 before rebounding above 62,000. ZEC also pulled back from an intraday high near $1,679. Future weekly counts will show whether private activity remains elevated through October.
The post Zcash Shielded Transactions Spike—Can the Momentum Hold? appeared first on Blockonomi.
