Discover how Zcash's shielded transactions protect your financial privacy using cutting-edge zero-knowledge cryptography.
Zcash (ZEC) is a decentralised cryptocurrency offering both transparent and fully shielded transactions using zk-SNARKs.
Launched in 2016 and based on the Zerocash academic paper, Zcash pioneered cryptographic financial privacy. While Bitcoin exposes every transaction publicly, Zcash lets you choose: transparent (t-address) or fully private (z-address) where sender, receiver and amount are cryptographically hidden.
With a fixed supply of 21 million coins and proof-of-work mining via Equihash, ZEC combines Bitcoin's scarcity model with state-of-the-art privacy technology.
Disclaimer: We are independent Zcash enthusiasts and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to the Zcash Foundation or Electric Coin Company.
Shielding ZEC means moving coins from a visible, public address to a cryptographically private one - where no observer can see sender, receiver, or amount.
Like Bitcoin - all transactions publicly visible on the blockchain. Anyone can see how much ZEC moved between which addresses.
Cryptographically private. Transactions reveal nothing about sender, receiver, or amount. Protected by zk-SNARKs.
Moving ZEC from t-address → z-address "shields" it. The shielding transaction itself is public, but subsequent z-to-z transactions are completely private.
Every shielded transaction includes a cryptographic proof that validates correctness - no double-spending, correct amounts - without revealing any underlying data.
The most private, efficient, and user-friendly shielded pool for ZEC - built for the next generation of Zcash privacy. Join the waitlist to be first in line.
A deep dive into how zk-SNARKs enable truly private cryptocurrency transactions with Zcash.
Read →Move your Zcash from transparent to shielded in minutes with this beginner-friendly guide.
Read →An honest technical comparison of Zcash and Monero's privacy technologies and trade-offs.
Read →Shielding refers to moving ZEC from a transparent t-address (publicly visible on the blockchain, like Bitcoin) to a shielded z-address where the transaction details - sender, receiver, and amount - are cryptographically hidden using zero-knowledge proofs.
Yes. Zcash's shielded transactions use zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge) - one of the most mathematically rigorous privacy protocols in existence. The Sapling and Orchard protocols make shielded transactions fast and efficient while maintaining cryptographic security.
No. Shielded z-to-z transactions reveal nothing about sender, receiver, or amount on the public blockchain. Only the parties with viewing keys can see the transaction details. This is fundamentally different from mixing services or tumblers, which can often be traced.
YWallet, Zashi (the official ECC wallet), and Nighthawk all support shielded Zcash transactions. For maximum privacy, use a wallet that defaults to z-addresses and supports the Orchard protocol.
Most major Zcash mining pools (F2Pool, 2Miners, Luxor) only support transparent t-address payouts. However, you can shield your ZEC immediately after receiving it using any compatible wallet. The shielding process is fast and the fee is minimal.