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24 October 2026 | 20:55 Zcash (ZEC) is down about 2% on Saturday, trading near $1,157 after a rebound stalled at its 50-day moving average and leveraged traders absorbed roughly $23 million in liquidations.

Binance’s ZEC/USDT daily chart on TradingView shows the token still trading more than 360% above its early-June low near $247, even after the latest pullback.

What happened at the 50-day SMA Earlier this week, ZEC snapped back from the 0.382 Fib with the 50-day SMA as the obvious target. The average did its job as resistance: the rally’s candle left a long upper wick right at the line, a sign that sellers were waiting there. The slide since has pulled price back toward the same floor it bounced from.

Leverage took the hit, but most of it is still there The damage showed up first in the futures market. About $22.8 million in ZEC futures positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours, mostly longs, according to CoinGlass. Over the same window ZEC fell roughly 7%, as Bitcoin briefly slipped below $80,000.

$22.8MFutures liquidated (24h) $2.25BOpen interest ~1%Share of open interest flushed ~15xFutures volume vs. spot (24h) The liquidation total sounds large until it is set against the size of the market. With open interest near $2.25 billion, the latest flush cleared only about 1% of outstanding futures positions, so leverage has barely been reset.

The rest of the data shows how much ZEC trading now runs through derivatives. Futures volume came to about $5.3 billion over the past day, roughly 15 times the $340 million traded on spot markets, and open interest equals around 12% of ZEC’s $19.5 billion market cap.

That cuts both ways. If the 0.382 floor breaks, a large pool of leveraged longs sits in the path of the decline and could add forced selling to it. If the floor holds and price turns up, the same heavy positioning could speed the move higher as shorts are forced to cover.

ZEC vs. XRP: same retreat, different damage Today’s XRP chart makes a useful comparison. Both coins are pulling back from late-summer highs, but the damage looks very different.

Measure ZEC XRP Deepest Fib level tested 0.382 0.618 (golden pocket) Price vs. 100-day SMA About 22% above Below Price vs. 200-day SMA About 64% above Below 50-day SMA slope Rising Curling lower Daily RSI About 45 About 36 The order of the averages is the same on both charts, with the 50-day above the 100-day and the 100-day above the 200-day. What differs is how much of that structure price has given up. ZEC’s pullback has also stopped at a much shallower point, with the 0.5 and 0.618 levels below it still untested, which suggests buyers are stepping in earlier.

Where the levels sit Level Price From current price September peak ~$1,695 +46% 0.236 Fib · start of the October breakdown ~$1,354 +17% 50-day SMA · rejected the rebound ~$1,296 +12% Current price ~$1,157 – 0.382 Fib · being retested ~$1,142 −1% 0.5 Fib + 100-day SMA ~$950–$971 −16% to −18% Golden pocket (0.618–0.65 Fib) ~$754–$800 −31% to −35% 200-day SMA · long-term baseline ~$707 −39% Chart note: daily ZEC/USDT candles from Binance on TradingView, with the latest candle still open. Fibonacci levels run from the early-June low to the September peak. Derivatives figures are a CoinGlass snapshot from Saturday afternoon (UTC) and update in real time.

Momentum and the bear case RSI sits near 45, a touch below its signal line and the 50 midpoint. That reading points to an orderly pause rather than heavy selling, and a move back above 50 would put momentum back on the buyers’ side.

The bear case: this is the second test of the 0.382 in less than a week, and the first bounce stalled well short of the 0.236. A floor that keeps getting revisited gives bulls less room for error.

ZEC is pinned between the 0.382 Fib near $1,140 and the 50-day SMA near $1,300. Scenario Trigger What opens up Upside The floor holds and ZEC posts a daily close above the 50-day SMA A possible move toward the 0.236 Fib, with the September peak a longer-term target if momentum returns Breakdown A daily close below the 0.382 before the end of October The $950–$970 cluster could come into play Bigger picture: Even a drop to that cluster would leave ZEC well above its 200-day SMA, with its uptrend structure in place. Only a slide into the golden pocket would put it in question. This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency prices are volatile.

Author

Alexander Zdravkov is a market analyst and crypto journalist with interests in economics, broader financial markets and digital assets. His journey into crypto began more than four years ago, driven by a fascination with the rapid evolution of blockchain technology and the transformative potential of decentralized finance. He began analyzing market cycles and identifying emerging trends before they reach the mainstream. He holds a degree in International Relations - a background that helped shape his broader perspective on global economics, geopolitics, and the interconnected nature of modern financial markets. Whether covering the latest developments in the crypto sector or exploring broader macroeconomic themes, Alexander focuses on giving readers context rather than simply repeating headlines. During his career, he has authored more than 5,000 articles covering cryptocurrencies, traditional finance, and global market developments. His work spans everything from Bitcoin and altcoins to macroeconomic trends influencing risk assets worldwide.

Arthur Hayes expects HYPE to deliver weaker returns than Ethereum and Zcash from current levels. The view follows months of position changes, including his full exit from HYPE in June. HYPE is pulling back toward the moving average that has supported its entire 2026 rally. Ethereum’s deep discount to its record high is central to the Hayes argument. Arthur Hayes, the BitMEX co-founder who now serves as chief investment officer of crypto fund Maelstrom, said in an October 16 interview that Hyperliquid’s HYPE token could underperform Ethereum (ETH) and Zcash (ZEC), pointing to growing competition among decentralized perpetual futures exchanges, platforms where traders open leveraged bets on prices without an expiry date. A week later, HYPE trades near $78.26, about 20% below its $97.99 record after four straight weeks of lower highs. Hayes added that he respects what the Hyperliquid team has built and would still use its products, but he no longer wants to own the token, which makes the comment the latest step in a shift that started in June.

From a $150 Target to a Full Exit Hayes on HYPE in 2026

● March: Discusses a $150 HYPE scenario ● May: Names HYPE, NEAR and ZEC his “holy trinity” ● June 4-5: Sells HYPE, NEAR and then ZEC ● August: Calls ETH his preferred trade ● October 16: Says HYPE could lag ETH and ZEC In March, Hayes argued that record open interest in HIP-3 markets, which let developers list new perpetual contracts on Hyperliquid, could carry HYPE to $150. By late May he was grouping it with NEAR and ZEC as his favorite trio, praising the token’s revenue model and its access to traditional assets. Less than two weeks later, on June 4, he sold his HYPE and NEAR positions, citing higher energy prices, the risk that large AI listings would pull liquidity away from crypto and a weaker macro backdrop. A day later he exited ZEC as well, saying a vulnerability in Zcash’s Orchard pool meant the network could not cryptographically prove that extra coins had never been created.

The speed of the reversal drew criticism, and on-chain investigator ZachXBT accused Hayes of using his followers as exit liquidity. In August, Hayes disclosed that Maelstrom had bought HYPE in the low $30s and sold around $75, adding that ETH could rise three to five times relatively quickly. By the October 16 interview, ETH and ZEC were back at the center of his thinking, despite his June exit from Zcash.

Why ETH Looks Cheaper on His Math The case rests on relative valuation, since Hyperliquid generated roughly $429 million in revenue between January 1 and September 15, and nearly all protocol fees go toward buying HYPE on the open market, which ties the token directly to trading activity. Investors now widely recognize that link, so in Hayes’ view much of the success is already reflected in the price. Rival perpetual exchanges pose the specific risk: every share of volume they win reduces the fees Hyperliquid collects, and with them the size of the buybacks that support HYPE.

Ethereum sits on the other side of that trade, since it remains the main settlement layer for decentralized finance yet has lagged smaller assets for most of the past year, and it trades about 51% below its August 2025 peak. His Zcash thesis is different in kind, built on the idea that financial privacy gains value as governments, large tech companies and AI systems track more economic activity. Both are investment views, and ZEC in particular carries its own liquidity and regulatory risks.

HYPE Leans on Its 21-Week Average HYPE/USDT weekly chart. Source: Alexander Stefanov / TradingView The 21-week exponential moving average at $72.85 has guided the whole 2026 advance. HYPE reclaimed it in January, has closed above it every week since and bounced off it in July before the August breakout. The same line marked the turn in late 2025, when losing it in October and November preceded a three-month slide to $20. Together with the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement at $68.38, it forms a $68.4-72.9 support band that also overlaps the range where price spent most of May through July.

Momentum has weakened even as HYPE set a far higher high in September than in June, yet the relative strength index peaked near 83 in late May and reached only about 70 at the record, meaning buyers pushed with less force on the final leg. The reading now sits at 56.2, below its signal line, although still above 50, which fits a cooling trend rather than a reversal. A weekly close below $68.4 would point to $59.24 and then the $50-51 area, where the 0.618 level meets the rising 50-week average. Holding the band and reclaiming $85-88 would reopen a test of $97.99, with $119.07 as the next extension above it.

ETH Is Stuck Between Two Averages ETH/USDT weekly chart. Source: Alexander Stefanov / TradingView Ethereum trades at $2,407.69, inside a narrow cluster formed by the 50-week EMA at $2,419.68 and the 200-week EMA at $2,462.74. Sellers stopped the September rally at $2,749, which is both the 0.618 Fibonacci level and the measured target of the double bottom ETH built near $1,550-1,600 in June and July. Volume during the pullback has stayed below the August breakout, suggesting profit-taking rather than heavy selling, while the RSI at 52.85 shows no clear direction. A close above $2,463 would turn the cluster into support and open a second test of $2,749, then $3,171. Repeated closes below the 50-week average would send price back toward the $2,149 neckline.

ZEC Defends a Month-Long Floor ZEC/USDT weekly chart. Source: Alexander Stefanov / TradingView Zcash bounced 9.25% this week to $1,235.40, extending a four-week stretch in which every weekly low held above the 0.382 level at $1,047.48. The upper wick to $1,368 shows sellers remain active above the 0.236 level at $1,289.17. ZEC trades about 90% above its 50-week EMA, and its RSI peaked near 78 at the September record versus roughly 95 during the November 2025 rally, a gap that marks weaker buying pressure at higher prices. A close above $1,289 would put the $1,680 record back in view, with $2,130 beyond it. Losing $1,047 would expose $852, then the $647-657 zone where the 0.618 level and the 50-week average meet.

Sunday’s Closes Will Test the Rotation The weekly candles close on Sunday, October 25. If HYPE ends the week below $72.85 while ETH settles above its 200-week average, the charts would show the rotation Hayes describes, with money moving from a token near its highs toward one still far below. Hyperliquid’s buyback size depends directly on its share of perpetual trading volume, so monthly market share data across decentralized derivatives venues offers a more concrete test of the competition argument than price alone.

Hayes has reversed course on all three tokens within months this year, and blockchain analysts track wallets linked to him and Maelstrom closely. Any renewed buying of HYPE, or new selling of ETH or ZEC, would likely appear in on-chain transfer data before he comments on it publicly.

Alex is a financial markets journalist and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, and he's spent close to ten years trying to answer one stubborn question: what's really driving this? It started in 2016, when Bitcoin refused to make sense to him - and rather than shrug, he stayed with it until it did. That patience became his method. He's less interested in what an asset is doing today than in the plumbing behind it: how liquidity flows, where risk hides, what a chart is quietly telling you that the headline isn't. That lens eventually stretched well past crypto into traditional markets, because the same forces - fear, leverage, incentives, timing - show up everywhere once you know how to look. Most coverage, in his view, insults the reader by stopping at the surface. Price up, price down, moving on. He'd rather leave someone genuinely understanding a move than merely informed that it happened. His path into markets ran through a Tourism degree at New Bulgarian University - proof, maybe, that curiosity beats credentials. With more than 200 deep analyses and over 10,000 articles behind him, he still walks away from most trading days having learned something he didn't know that morning.

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Table of contents

$10,000 in Zcash at this morning’s $1,177.59 buys 8.49 ZEC. If ZEC simply reclaims its September 26 high of $1,698, that position is worth $14,419. The bet rests on one dated fact: Zcash’s NU7 network upgrade is now locked to mainnet block 3,543,405, which the chain should reach around November 5. The broader market is drifting the other way. Bitcoin slipped under $81,000 in the first hour of October 24 for the first time since mid-month, and only one top-10 coin is printing green.

Bitcoin traded at $80,882 as of 00:13 UTC on October 24, down 0.24% over 24 hours, per CoinGecko data. Ethereum sat at $2,379.52 (−0.17%), Solana at $102.49 (−0.95%), and XRP at $1.29 (−1.10%). BNB was the lone top-10 gainer, up 1.14% to $737.99. Zcash changed hands at $1,177.59, down 3.28% on the day, with a $20.0 billion market capitalization — the number that frames everything below.

Bitcoin Under $81K: A Level the Data Keeps Testing
The 30-day chart shows the story in one line. Bitcoin peaked near $86,490 on October 10, faded through the middle of the month, and has now spent four of the last six sessions under the $82,000 mark it defended through the first half of October. The slide from $86,490 to $80,882 is a 6.5% drawdown, and it has come on falling conviction rather than a single liquidation cascade: 24-hour volume near $23.9 billion is well below the October highs.

What matters for a trader is that $81,000 is not a random round number. It has acted as the pivot of the current range: buyers stepped in near $81,100 on October 22, and sellers have capped every push above $83,000 since the middle of the month. A daily close below $80,000 — the level defended through the weekend — opens the next test around $79,500, the deeper floor traders cited ahead of the Federal Reserve’s October 27–28 meeting. A reclaim of $83,000 puts the October 10 high back in play. Those are the two conditions, and both are data-bound, not vibes.

The Zcash Catalyst: NU7 Locks to Block 3,543,405
Zcash’s case is different because it is not waiting on a central bank. The Zcash Foundation released Zebra 7.0.0 on October 22, the first stable node release with mainnet support for Network Upgrade 7. The foundation is direct about what the upgrade changes: “NU7 brings blocks every 25 seconds instead of every 75, a Network Sustainability Mechanism that recycles part of every transaction fee into future block rewards, and new shielded limits that protect wallets from spam.”

Activation is not a calendar date but a block height: 3,543,405, targeted for around November 5. The upgrade had already gone live on testnet at block 4,465,026 on October 4. The speed change is the headline. Target block spacing falls from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, so the average wait for a first confirmation drops from 75 seconds to roughly 25 seconds. At target spacing, the chain produces about 3,456 blocks a day instead of roughly 1,152, and three confirmations clear in about 75 seconds rather than 225.

The fee change is the part most holders will actually feel. Under ZIP 235, the foundation writes, “60% of each block’s transaction fees are removed from circulation and placed in a reserve, while miners keep the other 40% so they still have every reason to include transactions.” Those reserved funds are scheduled to return gradually through later block rewards, beginning at mainnet block 8,939,664 — around February 2031. The 21 million ZEC supply cap does not change, and the halving schedule is untouched.

There is one deadline that is not optional. “Once NU7 activates, version 4 transactions are no longer valid,” the release states, and “because Sprout transfers can only use version 4, funds left in the Sprout pool become unspendable.” Anyone still holding ZEC in the original Sprout shielded pool must move it before block 3,543,405 or lose access. Node operators face the same cutoff: the foundation’s instruction is that “All Mainnet operators MUST upgrade before height 3,543,405 (~Nov 5) to stay on the consensus chain.”

The 2x Math: What Doubling Actually Demands
The money angle is concrete and the arithmetic is the own-work part of this screen. At $1,177.59 and a $20.0 billion market cap, a 2x on ZEC means $2,355 and a $40 billion market cap. That is not a re-rating of the entire Zcash story — it is ZEC returning to the $1,698 level it printed less than a month ago, before the NU7 testnet cycle began. The 8.49 ZEC a $10,000 position buys becomes $20,000 at that level, and $14,419 just by reclaiming the September high.

Bitcoin, by contrast, has to do much more for the same return. Doubling from $80,882 to $161,764 requires the market cap to grow from $1.63 trillion to roughly $3.25 trillion — a $1.62 trillion inflow that no single catalyst in the current calendar promises. BNB sits in between: a 2x to $1,475.98 needs its market cap to move from $97 billion to about $194 billion. The point is not that ZEC is the better asset in absolute terms. It is that a dated, network-level catalyst is a cheaper trigger than a macro regime change, and the math makes the tradeoff explicit.

The benchmark that matters is the one the market already tested. ZEC peaked near $1,698 on September 26 and has given back about 30% since, so today’s $1,177.59 is a retrace, not a new high. The NU7 activation is the first hard event since that peak that changes the protocol’s throughput, and the October 21 merge of the height into the ZIP specification removed the last “to be determined” from the schedule. That is what turns a retrace into a re-rating candidate.

Why This Setup Fails
The skeptical case is straightforward and should be taken seriously. First, ZEC is down 3.28% on the day while the rest of the market is flat — the NU7 catalyst has not yet shown up in price, and a protocol upgrade is a supply-and-throughput event, not a demand event. Faster blocks and a fee reserve do not, by themselves, bring new buyers. Second, the upgrade is still two weeks out, and the interim belongs to the macro calendar: the Federal Reserve decides on October 27–28, and a hawkish surprise would pressure every risk asset, ZEC included, regardless of its own roadmap.

Third, the Sprout migration is a real operational risk for a small but non-zero set of holders. Roughly 0.4% of shielded funds still sits in the legacy pool, and any of it left behind at activation becomes unspendable — a self-inflicted supply event that could read as confusion rather than progress if the migration warnings do not land. Finally, the broader privacy-coin trade has already run hard this year, which means some of the NU7 outcome may be priced into a token that is still up sharply on a year-to-date basis despite October’s pullback.

None of this breaks the trade, but it defines the invalidation. If Bitcoin closes the week under $80,000, the ZEC setup is fighting a falling tide. If NU7 slips past November 5 — the height is a target, not a promise — the catalyst is gone and the position thesis is gone with it.

The Levels That Matter Before November 5
For ZEC, the levels are clean: support at $1,081, the October 16 low after the inflation selloff, and resistance at $1,252 and then the $1,698 September peak. A close above $1,252 reopens the range top; a break of $1,081 puts the $1,049 mid-September low in view. For Bitcoin, the $80,000 close is the line in the sand, with $79,500 as the deeper floor and $83,000 as the reclaim that would turn the daily trend back up.

The two dates to keep on the calendar are October 27–28 (the Fed) and the November 5 NU7 window. The Zcash position is a bet that the second event matters more for one asset than the first one matters for everything else. That is the whole trade in a sentence, and it is why the Zcash news hub and the Bitcoin news hub are the two pages worth refreshing between now and then.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best crypto to buy now?
On October 24, 2026, the strongest dated catalyst sits with Zcash, whose NU7 upgrade is locked to mainnet block 3,543,405 for around November 5. Bitcoin is the safer core position but is drifting under $81,000 ahead of the Fed’s October 27–28 meeting.

What is Zcash’s NU7 upgrade?
NU7 is Zcash’s seventh network upgrade. It cuts target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, adds a Network Sustainability Mechanism that diverts 60% of transaction fees into a reserve, and disables version 4 transactions, which makes legacy Sprout-pool funds unspendable at activation.

When does the Zcash NU7 upgrade activate?
NU7 activates at mainnet block 3,543,405, which the network is expected to reach around November 5, 2026. Because block production is not perfectly uniform, the exact time can shift slightly; the height, not a clock, controls activation.

Is Bitcoin a buy at $80,882?
Bitcoin trades under $81,000 with support near $80,000 and $79,500. A daily close below $80,000 opens the next leg down; a reclaim of $83,000 would turn the daily trend back up. The October 27–28 Fed decision is the next macro catalyst.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

PANews, Oct. 23 — According to Bloomberg, privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash (ZEC) has gained roughly 3,000% year to date, drawing increased positioning from early Bitcoin investor and Gemini co-founder the Winklevoss twins and Digital Currency Group (DCG) founder Barry Silbert, with the two sides now competing over Zcash mining infrastructure and investment products.

On the investment product side, DCG's Grayscale launched the first U.S. Zcash ETF in August, providing a channel for institutional capital to enter the asset. The Winklevoss twins filed for their own Zcash ETF this month, further intensifying the competition.

Cypherpunk Technologies, backed by the Winklevoss twins, and Fortitude Mining, backed by Silbert, have become major mining companies on the Zcash network, and plan to invest tens of millions of dollars to expand hashrate in pursuit of more mining rewards. Cypherpunk currently holds about 20% of the network's total hashrate; Fortitude said that once its newly added hashrate is deployed, its share will reach 20%. However, Zcash mining is essentially a competition for hashrate over a fixed issuance, so increasing a mining company's hashrate mainly affects its probability of earning mining rewards and does not mean the token's price is bound to rise.

Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

TL;DRU.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs lost $635 million in one of the largest daily outflows in months, while over 82,000 traders were liquidated, mostly longs. 

Grayscale’s Zcash ETF (ZCSH) posted a third straight day of inflows ($14.23 million) ahead of the NU7 hard fork on November 5. 

Spot XRP ETFs added $3.55 million, with XRP outperforming the market ahead of Ripple Swell. 

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DFINITY founder Dominic Williams accused NEAR Protocol of building NEAR Intents on DFINITY’s proprietary technology; NEAR fell 1.29%.

The Friday morning session on the crypto market, October 23, 2026, is characterized by a large redistribution of institutional capital amid profit-taking in Bitcoin. The total capitalization of the crypto market stands at $2.75 trillion with a daily trading volume of $108.21 billion. Planned de-risking amid macroeconomic pressure triggered a wave of margin position closures.

Crypto market capitalization heat map with BTC at $81,657.29 and 60.02% dominance, Source: CoinMarketCapThe external factor is the correction of the U.S. stock market, where the S&P 500 index fell by 1.24%, and the price of gold was recorded at $4,029.80. A direct consequence of this dynamic was one of the largest daily outflows in recent months from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, amounting to $634.99 million.

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The trading structure points to an intra-market rotation of capital rather than its complete exit into fiat. While retail traders lock in losses, large limit orders absorb the drawdown in alternative assets. Liquidity is flowing into utility blockchain platforms of the banking sector and regulated exchange-traded products based on privacy coins. 

The key beneficiaries of the morning distribution of funds are XRP and Zcash.

The great capital migration: how the Bitcoin drawdown fed XRP and ZECAccording to the SoSoValue analytics dashboard, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net outflow of $634.99 million. The trading session also ended in the red zone for Ethereum funds, which lost $26.13 million, and Solana ETFs, where the outflow amounted to $2.65 million.

Countertrend resilience is demonstrated by Grayscale's spot Zcash ETF (ZCSH), which absorbed a net daily inflow of $14.23 million. Accumulation has continued for the third consecutive day after injections of $23.16 million and $12.88 million in previous sessions, which raised the fund's total net assets under management to $681.39 million. 

Zcash spot ETF inflows chart showing a $14.23M net inflow and $681.39M in total net assets, Source: SoSoValueThrough this regulated instrument, institutional investors directly control 3.11% of Zcash's market capitalization, with a daily trading volume of $63.33 million and an underlying asset price of $1,236.83.

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In parallel, spot XRP funds recorded an inflow of $3.55 million, fully provided by the Franklin Templeton pool (FBIT). At the same time, issuers Bitwise, Canary, Grayscale, and 21Shares maintained a zero daily balance change. 

XRP spot ETF net asset flows tracking a $3.55M daily inflow and $1.49B in total net assets, Source: SoSoValueFundstrat co-founder Tom Lee notes that this cycle represents a healthy correction, not a bubble: the short on big tech has become excessively consensus-driven, and the debt market is tightly limiting the inflow of speculative capital. The cumulative historical inflow into XRP ETFs has surpassed the $1.8 billion mark, with net assets under management at $1.49 billion (1.01% of the token's capitalization) at an estimated underlying asset price of $1.31.

Billionaires' race for privacy and code theft from ICP. Main stories of this morningAt the morning session, the focus of attention shifted from Bitcoin's price fluctuations to major corporate conflicts. In the U.S., a battle for control over privacy technologies is flaring up, accompanied by loud accusations of code plagiarism.

An open infrastructure war for Zcash has unfolded on the American market between Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Gemini) and DCG founder Barry Silbert. Demand for privacy has intensified due to AI tracking on public networks, so the miners they control, Cypherpunk Technologies and Fortitude Mining, each hold approximately 20% of the network hashrate. Big capital views the asset as a scarce alternative to Bitcoin with fixed issuance.

In parallel, a technology scandal is flaring up: DFINITY founder Dominic Williams publicly accused NEAR Protocol of patent theft. Williams claims that a key component of NEAR Intents is built on DFINITY's proprietary ECDSA threshold signature algorithm. 

@hosseeb @grok The algorithm NEAR has been running on for two and a half years is patented. They also took vetKeys, it looks like, but that's not. Obviously if you're mining the repos, research, and work of competitors, without talking to them, referencing them, etc, this is a risk you take.

— dom | icp (@dominic_w) October 23, 2026 According to him, NEAR's solution runs on only 8 servers, is completely devoid of decentralization, and an emergency rollback to slower algorithms was recorded on NEAR's GitHub due to legal and litigation risks in the U.S. Against this background, the NEAR token decreased in value by 1.29%, trading at $4.96.

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At the same time, a flow of capital toward regulated Asia is being recorded, where traditional financial giants and state regulators are massively introducing stablecoins into the real sector of the economy.

Briefly about other important events this morning:

HSBC launches RedCoin in Hong Kong: Banking giant HSBC, with $3.4 trillion in assets, has officially deployed RedCoin (RCHKD), a stablecoin licensed by the HKMA and 100% backed by the Hong Kong dollar. It is instantly available to 3.3 million users of the PayMe app for payments across a network of 100,000 merchants.

Legalization of stablecoins in South Korea: The South Korean government recognizes stablecoins as an official means of payment from December 3. For this purpose, LG Group's IT division (LG CNS) has entered into a strategic alliance with Chainlink to digitize the Korean won on the $68 billion local crypto market.

Zcash anniversary and AI verification: The Zcash project celebrates a decade since its launch, and a $1,000 investment made five years ago is equivalent to $7,178 today. The developers used Anthropic's Claude AI tools for formal verification of code security before the Network Upgrade 7 (NU7) hard fork on November 5.

Ripple liquidity based on RLUSD: Ripple announces a partnership with the Arf platform to provide cross-border liquidity for the RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger network. The project is preparing to launch Web3 lending features ahead of the Ripple Swell conference, while traders on Kalshi are pricing in a scenario of XRP rising to $1.80 by the end of the year.

A healthy correction, not a bubble. What to expect from the market in the coming daysBitcoin quotes are holding at $81,657.29 (-0.07% over 24 hours) with a market dominance of 59.63%. The current decline is accompanied by a shakeout of margin positions. Over the past 24 hours, the positions of 82,246 traders totaling $332.09 million were liquidated on the futures market. The decline is directed against buyers: 82.6% of the total volume of forced closures fell on long positions ($274.37 million), according to CoinGlass.

Crypto derivatives liquidation heat map dominated by Ethereum at $59.54M and Bitcoin at $52.28M, Source: CoinGlassThe main blow was taken by Ethereum derivatives ($59.54 million in liquidations, 82.1% longs) and Bitcoin derivatives ($52.28 million in liquidations, 87.3% longs). Binance's share is 45.5%, and the largest order was recorded on Hyperliquid in the XYZ:SOXL-USD pair, worth $4.34 million. 

The correction is fully synchronized with the U.S. technology sector, where the SPDR index (XLK) fell by 3.6%, and semiconductors dropped almost 7% after Meta's reports on AI spending of up to $135 billion.

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Amid Ethereum's drop to $2,403.04 (dominance of 10.72%) and Solana's stagnation ($104.46), the outperforming dynamics of XRP ($1.3172, daily growth of +0.66%) and Zcash confirm the local rotation. The scandal around the centralization of NEAR Intents is accelerating the exit of capital into regulated U.S. exchange-traded products (ETFs) based on protected protocols.

Indicators to watch:

Holding the BTC price corridor: Bitcoin's ability to lock in the $81,700 – $82,000 range will determine the speed of the market recovery.

Zcash hard fork (November 5): The launch of the NU7 upgrade acts as the main fundamental trigger for retaining institutional demand for ZEC.

Ripple Swell conference: Upcoming announcements on the RLUSD stablecoin could push XRP through local resistance at $1.32 – $1.50.

Legal consequences of the ICP/NEAR dispute: The dynamics of NEAR Protocol's quotes will directly depend on official responses to DFINITY's accusations in U.S. courts.

Zcash Foundation has released Zebra 7.0.0, the first stable node software for the NU7 upgrade. NU7 cuts Zcash block times from 75 to 25 seconds around November 5.

The Zcash Foundation has released Zebra 7.0.0, the first stable version of its node software to support NU7, the next network upgrade for @Zcash. Mainnet activation is planned for around November 5, and node operators must upgrade before block 3,543,405 to stay on the main chain.

What NU7 changes for ZcashThe headline change is speed. , according to the Zcash Foundation's release notes.
If the network hits that target, any wait measured in confirmations shrinks to about a third, so three blocks would take roughly 75 seconds instead of nearly four minutes.

Faster blocks do not change how much $ZEC is created each day.
The upgrade reduces issuance per block to one-third to keep total new issuance per day unchanged.
That leaves the 21 million supply cap and four-year halving schedule unchanged.

NU7 also introduces a Network Sustainability Mechanism.
Under ZIP 235, 60% of each block's transaction fees are removed from circulation into a reserve, while miners keep the other 40%.
The accumulated reserve will be paid out as block rewards in a reissuance process scheduled to begin in February 2031, and the total supply cap will not change.

The upgrade also adds new shielded limits.
The Zcash Foundation says these protect wallets from spam.

What node operators and holders need to do
All mainnet node operators must upgrade before NU7 activates to stay on the consensus chain.
After activation, NU7 nodes disconnect peers that run older versions, and nodes that have not upgraded will follow a different chain.
The older Zebra 6.4.x series is also set to stop.
Zebra 6.4.x is set to stop operating around Nov. 2.

Zebra 7.0.0 also includes other changes.
The release brings faster, more reliable syncing near the chain tip and fixes seven security advisories.
It migrates the state database to a new format the first time it starts.

Holders with funds in Sprout, Zcash's oldest privacy pool, should act before activation.
Version 4 transactions become invalid once NU7 activates, and because Sprout transfers can only be written as version 4 transactions, any funds still in the pool become unspendable.

The activation date is an estimate based on block height, so the exact timing may shift slightly depending on how quickly blocks are produced before the switch.
NU7 was switched on for the public testnet first, giving the network its first live run of 25-second blocks.

SourcesZebra 7.0.0 Release, Zcash Foundation

Zcash NU7 Upgrade: Mainnet Height 3,543,405 Agreed, Altcoin Buzz

Zcash seeks to cut block time to 25 seconds, Digital Today

Zcash Foundation has released Zebra 7.0.0 with NU7 mainnet support, telling node operators to upgrade before block 3,543,405, expected around Nov. 5.

Summary

Mainnet operators must upgrade before activation to remain on the consensus chain.
Zebra 6.4.x releases are scheduled to stop operating days before the upgrade.
NU7 introduces 25-second blocks while preserving the scheduled daily issuance of ZEC.
The foundation says Zebra 7.0.0 includes fixes for five security advisories.

Zcash Foundation said in its Oct. 22 announcement that mainnet operators must install the upgrade to remain on the consensus chain, while older 6.4.x releases will stop themselves days before activation.

“All Mainnet operators MUST upgrade before height 3,543,405 (~Nov 5) to stay on the consensus chain.”

The foundation listed 25-second blocks, a Network Sustainability Mechanism, and fixes for five security advisories among the release’s features.

Zebra operators face an earlier shutdown
The foundation’s Oct. 6 engineering update put the expected shutdown of Zebra 6.4.x around Nov. 2. Developers shortened the software’s operating period from 15 weeks to 12 weeks to bring that halt ahead of the planned network upgrade.

In the same update, the engineering team said expiry calculations and synchronization estimates had been adjusted to follow the block time in effect at each height. Without that adjustment, faster block production could make software stop earlier than intended.

NU7 reached public testnet at block 4,465,026 on Oct. 4, the foundation confirmed. The testnet activation introduced the consensus changes for observation before mainnet deployment.

As crypto.news previously reported on Oct. 21, developers had selected the mainnet activation height after an Oct. 20 meeting of ZIP editors. At that reporting cutoff, the change still awaited integration into the deployment specification.

The current ZIP 259 text now lists mainnet block 3,543,405. Its compatibility rules say upgraded nodes will disconnect peers advertising an older network protocol version after activation.

The specification warns that unsupported software can remain online and follow a pre-NU7 consensus branch. It does not establish how many operators are still using incompatible software.

Zcash targets faster confirmations without faster issuance
ZIP 218 sets the new block target at 25 seconds, down from 75 seconds. Its authors identify payments, exchange deposits, and cross-chain operations as uses affected by the wait for confirmations.

The proposal does not advise clients to cut their confirmation counts. Its discussion of rollback risk distinguishes between security models, including models based on an attacker’s share of mining power and those based on the economic cost of reversing a payment.

The foundation’s Oct. 2 release-candidate explanation says daily scheduled issuance stays unchanged because the software divides scheduled block rewards by three and adjusts the remaining halving intervals.

Its description retains the four-year halving schedule and the 21 million ZEC supply cap. Faster block production therefore does not mean the scheduled daily mining subsidy triples.

The September coinholder poll recorded roughly 99.9% support for shorter block spacing and 98.9% support for preserving halvings. Nearly 2.4 million ZEC participated, representing around 66% of eligible Ironwood balances at the snapshot, according to the published results covered on Sep. 16.

Voting closed on Sep. 14 after balances were recorded at mainnet block 3,459,350 on Aug. 24. Eligibility depended on spendable shielded funds held in Ironwood at that snapshot.

NU7 redirects fees into future mining rewards
The foundation’s release-candidate explanation describes a split in which 60% of transaction fees leave circulation for a reserve, while miners keep the remaining 40%.

Under the Network Sustainability Mechanism, the reserved funds can return gradually through future block rewards. The Oct. 21 activation coverage identified mainnet block 8,939,664 for the start of reissuance, expected around February 2031.

Coinholders had favored that timing with approximately 96.6% support in September’s poll. The deployment specification lists the reissuance height separately from the NU7 activation height.

The Oct. 2 technical explanation gives mining pools a related instruction. Because a coinbase transaction depends on selected transaction fees and the parent block’s reserve, miners should request a fresh block template instead of changing its transaction set or previous block themselves.

The foundation described shielded activity limits covering individual pools and a shared budget across pools. Its engineering update says those restrictions are designed to protect light wallets from spam while the network produces blocks more frequently.

ZIP 218 places the shared shielded budget at 330 actions per block, alongside separate pool limits. Its authors estimate that the changes cut worst-case daily light-wallet synchronization bandwidth from 271 megabytes to 169 megabytes, a reduction of roughly 37%.

The proposal notes a separate privacy trade-off. More frequent blocks give observers finer timing information, which can be combined with observations from networks or applications. Its authors say the new limits do not prevent traffic analysis or eliminate denial-of-service risk.

Sprout funds face a separate spending deadline
The Oct. 5 testnet coverage described another NU7 change affecting funds in Sprout, Zcash’s original shielded pool. Disabling version 4 transactions prevents spending those funds after activation unless holders move them beforehand.

ZIP 259 specifies that the prohibition applies to every version 4 transaction, including transparent-only and Sapling transactions. Saved transactions signed offline require the same activation checks.

The specification says versions 5 and 6 keep their existing structures, but their signatures commit to a consensus branch identifier. An unchanged transaction format does not guarantee a transaction remains valid across activation.

8 hours ago

Gemini co-founders Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss stated in an interview that Bitcoin is a public, auditable blockchain where anyone can view transaction records, though its transparency makes it ill-suited for privacy-focused use cases. Zcash, by contrast, is designed for private transactions and payments, so the two can coexist. Ideally, privacy would be native to Bitcoin, but the current practical model is "Bitcoin for storage + Zcash for transactions". Bitcoin remains significant, but public blockchains face heightened privacy exposure risks in the era of AI. The Winklevoss brothers added that Zcash fills Bitcoin’s gap in privacy functionality, serving as "encrypted Bitcoin". ZEC’s privacy value has not yet been fully realized; if it reaches 10% of Bitcoin’s market capitalization, ZEC could surge fivefold, easily surpassing $5,000. As such, they are bullish on ZEC’s price performance over the next 5 to 10 years, particularly as demand for privacy rises. "Zcash is a financial privacy tool for the AI era, an antidote to AI-driven surveillance and tyranny. Anyone bullish on AI (or quantum), even if they don’t recognize it, should be bullish on Zcash. It is the AI hedge or quantum hedge in the cryptocurrency space."

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Bitcoin, Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Zcash (ZEC) are showing potential recovery signals after a sharp crypto market sell-off reportedly erased $70 billion in market value over 10 hours. Crypto analyst Ali Charts has identified new buy signals for all three assets, with their next moves depending on whether key support levels hold.

BITCOIN, HYPERLIQUID, AND ZCASH RETRACE…

BUT LOOK READY TO BOUNCE BACK

1/5 🧵👇

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) October 22, 2026 Bitcoin Price PredictionBitcoin fell 2.80% after approaching $85,000, retreating toward $82,000. The TD Sequential indicator has now flashed a buy signal, suggesting the correction could be nearing its end.

BTC was trading near $82,800 in the latest figures provided. Meanwhile, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded approximately $528 million in net inflows on October 21, marking three consecutive sessions of positive flows.

If Bitcoin holds above $82,000, it could attempt to reclaim $85,000. However, renewed selling pressure could prevent a recovery.

Hyperliquid Price PredictionHyperliquid’s HYPE token dropped 4.22% after reaching a local high near $82. Ali Charts has since identified a buy signal on the hourly chart.

The analyst is watching $78 as the key support level. If buyers defend this price, HYPE could rebound toward $82 or higher. A break below $78 could weaken the recovery outlook.

Zcash Price PredictionZcash declined 6.44% after reaching a local high around $1,350. Its TD Sequential indicator has now flashed a buy signal, pointing to a possible recovery.

Ali Charts identified $1,250 as the support level to watch. If ZEC stays above it, the price could climb toward $1,350. A drop below this level could expose the token to further losses.

What Could Drive the Next Crypto Market Move?US economic data and the Federal Reserve’s October 28 policy decision remain important factors for crypto prices. Investors are also watching preliminary US business activity data due October 23.

Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs recorded net inflows of approximately $528 million and $15 million, respectively, on October 21. Continued institutional investment could support market demand, while persistent inflation or escalating geopolitical tensions could trigger further selling.

Story Ends Here

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BTC, HYPE, and ZEC Ready for a Rebound? Analyst Explains Why

In BriefNear Protocol (NEAR): NEAR trades near $5.25 in a healthy consolidation below $6.00, with $5.60 as the key breakout level.Zcash (ZEC): ZEC trades near $1,314 after recovering most of its October losses, with $1,380 as the key resistance.Dogecoin (DOGE): DOGE trades near $0.0825 in a recovery attempt within a larger downtrend, and needs a close above $0.0855 to matter.Ethereum (ETH): ETH trades near $2,482 and looks healthier than most large coins, with $2,550 as the level to confirm the next move higher.Near Protocol (NEAR) back in effective rangeNEAR is trading near $5.25 after a green daily candle that closed above the current range. The coin has been one of the strongest names in the market. It rose from about $1.60 in August to a high near $6.00 in early October, a gain of more than 270%. After that peak, the price pulled back to $4.30 and has since moved sideways between $4.60 and $5.60. This is a healthy pause after such a rapid rise.

NEAR/USDT Chart by TradingViewImportantly, NEAR never lost its 20-day EMA, which sits near $4.80 and has acted as support on every dip. The longer averages are far below the price. The 50 EMA is near $4.20, the 100 EMA near $3.40, and the 200 EMA near $2.75.

All of them point up, and the distance between the price and the averages shows how strong the trend is. RSI sits near 55, down from overbought levels above 80 in late September.

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This means the heat has cooled without a drop in price, which is a good sign for bulls. Volume has also settled after the big spike in September, but the latest green candle came with a visible rise in buying.

The first level to watch is $5.60, the top of the current range. A close above it would open the way to the $6.00 high. A break above $6.00 would put NEAR in price discovery for this cycle. On the downside, $4.80 is the first support, followed by $4.30, the recent low.

A close below $4.30 would show that buyers are losing control and could send the price toward the 50 EMA near $4.20. For now, the trend remains up. NEAR is building a base below the highs, and a breakout above $5.60 could likely start the next leg higher.

Zcash (ZEC) among the recovery leadersZcash is trading near $1,314 after a strong daily candle, recovering most of its October losses. The coin has had a huge run this year, rising from about $480 in August to a peak near $1,700 in late September.

After that high, ZEC fell to a low near $1,050. The drop was sharp, but the price held above the 100-day EMA, which sits near $1,010. That level worked as a safety net, and buyers stepped in right there.

ZEC/USDT Chart by TradingViewThe current bounce is important. ZEC has moved back above the 20 EMA near $1,270 and is now testing the area around $1,320 to $1,350, where sellers appeared in early October. The 50 EMA near $1,190 is now below the price and should act as support on any dip. The long-term picture remains strong.

The 200 EMA is near $790 and rising, far below the current price. All major averages point up, which confirms that the main trend has not changed. RSI is near 55 and turning up from the 40 area. This indicates that momentum is coming back after the pullback. Volume was low during the drop and is rising slightly during the bounce, which supports the move.

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The key resistance is $1,380, followed by $1,500. A close above $1,380 would show that buyers have taken back control and could open the way toward $1,500. A move above $1,700 would set a new high. If the bounce fails, support sits at $1,190 and then $1,050.

A break below $1,050 would put the 100 EMA near $1,010 in play and could weaken the bullish case. For now, ZEC has the upper hand. Price is recovering, momentum is improving, and the trend remains up. A daily close above $1,380 would confirm the next move higher.

Dogecoin (DOGE) low-volume recoveryDOGE is trading near $0.0825 after a green daily candle. The coin rose from about $0.070 in August to a high near $0.106 in September. It then lost ground in October and fell to a low around $0.076. The latest bounce is a first sign that buyers are returning. Price now sits just below a cluster of averages.

DOGE/USDT Chart by TradingViewThe 50 EMA and 100 EMA are close to $0.0855, and the 20 EMA is near $0.088. The 200 EMA is higher, near $0.092, and has capped every rally for months. This area is the main wall for the bounce. RSI is near 45 and turning up from a weak area, which indicates that selling pressure is easing.

Volume has been low during the pullback and during the bounce. That means sellers are not pushing hard, but buyers have not shown real strength either.

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The first level to watch is $0.0855. A daily close above it would put the price back over the 50 and 100 EMAs and could open the way toward $0.088 and then $0.092. A move above the 200 EMA would be the first real change in the long-term trend.

On the downside, $0.080 is the main support, followed by the recent low near $0.076. A close below $0.076 would point to $0.070, where DOGE based in July and August. For now, DOGE is in a recovery attempt inside a larger downtrend. The bounce is real, but it needs a close above $0.0855 to matter.

Ethereum (ETH) stabilizes on supportEthereum is trading near $2,482 after a green daily candle. ETH jumped from about $1,900 in August to a high near $2,800 in September. In October, the price pulled back to $2,320, where it found support and started to recover. That support came from the 100 EMA near $2,360 and the 200 EMA near $2,315. Both lines are rising and sit close together, which makes this a strong base.

ETH/USDT Chart by TradingViewBuyers defended it, and the price bounced right away. Now ETH is testing the 50 EMA near $2,480. This line is the first real barrier. The 20 EMA sits higher, near $2,550, and acts as the next hurdle.

Price has to clear both to show that the bounce has strength. RSI is near 45 and moving up from the 40 area, so momentum is slowly coming back. Volume has been average, with no big spike at the bounce, which means the move still needs more buying to be fully confirmed.

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A daily close above $2,550 would be a strong signal. It would put ETH back above the short-term averages and open the way toward $2,700 and the September high near $2,800. A break above $2,800 would set a new local high.

If the bounce fails at the 50 EMA, support sits at $2,360 and then $2,315. A close below $2,315 would break the base and could send the price toward $2,100. For now, ETH looks healthier than most large coins. The main trend is still up, and the long averages are rising below the price. A close above $2,550 would confirm the next move higher.

US ZEC and NEAR Spot ETFs See Combined Net Inflow of $16.0073 Million in a Single Day

A series of security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in internet infrastructure software within a single day, affecting PHP, Node.js, and Go.

Multiple internet infrastructure software projects rolled out security updates in a single day, addressing vulnerabilities including remote code execution, TLS certificate validation bypass, and certificate trust risks. PHP fixed two critical flaws: CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, both enabling unauthenticated remote code execution that impacts PHP environments processing web requests. The patched versions are 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35. Node.js’ advisory details 10 vulnerabilities, four of which are high-severity: these include remote code execution via out-of-bounds write in the Brotli decoder, DNS name truncation, and two TLS certificate hostname validation bypass issues. Fixed versions are 26.12.1, 24.22.1, and 22.23.4. Additionally, Go’s crypto/x509-related risk is tracked as CVE-2026-111943, rated "Important" by Red Hat with a CVSS 3.1 score of 6.8. Attackers with specific network access and valid certificates could impersonate legitimate servers to intercept or alter communications. Go 1.26.10 and 1.27.3 have been added to a deny list, blocking trust for compromised intermediate certificates.

49 minutes ago

Dataline completes $10.6 million seed round funding, and plans to conduct an ICO.

Decentralized data network for AI agents Dataline has closed a $10.6 million seed round, co-led by Lattice and Samsung-backed Dispersion Capital, with participation from Symbolic Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Anagram, and Robinhood co-founder & CEO Vlad Tenev, among others. The round, completed in April, utilized a SAFE agreement with token warrants; valuation was not disclosed. Dataline is now live, covering approximately 50 data sources to deliver on-chain and off-chain data, and scores data reliability, timeliness, and consistency using AI. Proceeds will be allocated to expanding data sources, enhancing data validation, and expanding into robotics, AI training data, and other sectors. Dataline plans to launch a token by the end of 2026 for network payments and data access, and intends to conduct a public token sale on Base via Uniswap’s Continuous Clearing Auction (CCA) system, with details set to be revealed next week. The public sale’s target fundraising amount, token quantity, and other terms remain undisclosed.

49 minutes ago

Trump plans to leverage White House cyber crime efforts to showcase achievements in combating cross-border crypto fraud.

White House officials said on October 21 that Trump planned to focus on the U.S. government’s actions to crack down on overseas crypto fraud rings during the White House’s cybersecurity event that day, including recovering funds and shutting down fraudulent operations. These transnational criminal groups steal funds from U.S. citizens via romance scams, phishing, ransomware and other methods. The U.S. government noted that law enforcement agencies have seized approximately $833 million in crypto assets linked to overseas fraud, and shut down 503 fraudulent crypto websites under the supervision of the Homeland Security Task Force. Relevant authorities have also notified nearly 9,000 U.S. citizens to alert them they are being targeted by fraud. The U.S. Treasury Department previously announced the establishment of an inter-agency "Fraud Strike Task Force" to target "pig butchering" scams run by organized criminal groups in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines. Since last year, the U.S. has also imposed multiple sanctions aimed at cutting off support for related fraud websites and their infrastructure.

49 minutes ago

American Bankers Association voices dissatisfaction with OCC’s final GENIUS Act rule, which abandons proposed restrictions on stablecoin yields.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that the American Bankers Association (ABA) has voiced dissatisfaction with the final rules implemented by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) under the GENIUS Act. The OCC abandoned the previously proposed restrictions on stablecoin yields, a move the ABA argues will "maintain the status quo for crypto platforms." The ABA’s CEO stated: "It is a mistake to wait until deposit outflows and economic harm have already occurred before attempting to address these issues."

49 minutes ago

Beyond PHP, three Node.js version branches are also affected by high-severity vulnerabilities, and users need to update their runtime environments promptly.

Node.js rolled out a security update on October 21, covering its 26.x, 24.x, and 22.x version branches, with corresponding patched releases: 26.12.1, 24.22.1, and 22.23.4. The advisory details 10 total vulnerabilities, categorized as 4 critical-severity, 3 medium-severity, and 3 low-severity, with varying impact scopes across the three version lines. The critical CVE-2026-111497 is an out-of-bounds write flaw in the Brotli decoder that could enable remote code execution (RCE), affecting all three branches. Other critical issues include improper null character handling in DNS resolution and a TLS certificate hostname validation bypass. The update also resolves problems with persistent connection response processing, random number cache duplication, and permission models, while updating dependencies including c-ares, OpenSSL, and Undici. The official note warns that end-of-life (EOL) versions may still be vulnerable, advising users to use the latest supported releases. Separately, prior reports noted PHP has fixed two critical unauthenticated RCE vulnerabilities, with patches available for versions 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35; PHP users are urged to upgrade immediately.

49 minutes ago

Bonk Guy: This round is the "privacy cycle", privacy protocol MASK is undervalued.

Renowned trader Bonk Guy posted that the current crypto market is showing characteristics of a "privacy cycle". He noted that since yesterday, Bitcoin has risen approximately 3%, ZEC is up 16%, adding over $3 billion in market capitalization. MASK currently has a market cap of roughly $26 million, with its protocol trading volume and fees hitting consecutive all-time highs, he added. Citing data from DefiLlama, he stated that MASK ranks first among privacy protocols by revenue, outearning the next 10 privacy protocols combined. By comparison, ZEC’s market cap gain over the past 24 hours is roughly 115 times MASK’s entire market cap. Bonk Guy also said that MASK’s upcoming deployment on Solana is set to launch in the coming days, which he expects will further drive growth in usage, trading volume, and fees. He went on to call MASK the most undervalued privacy protocol in the crypto market.

49 minutes ago

Zcash developers have agreed on block 3,543,405 as the planned activation point for Network Upgrade 7 (NU7), bringing the privacy-focused blockchain closer to introducing 25-second blocks around November 5.

Summary

Zcash developers have selected block 3,543,405 for NU7 activation, expected around November 5.
The upgrade will reduce target block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, cutting confirmation delays.
NU7 introduces a mechanism that temporarily removes 60% of transaction fees from circulation.
Funds remaining in Zcash’s legacy Sprout pool will become unspendable after the upgrade.
The activation proposal has received two approvals but still requires final integration into the deployment specification.

According to an October 20 GitHub proposal submitted by developer Sean Bowe, the activation height was agreed upon during a meeting of Zcash Improvement Proposal (ZIP) editors, although the change still requires final integration into the network’s deployment specification.

Zcash's NU7 Mainnet activation height is being set to 3,543,405 (~November 5) as part of final changes to ZIP 259.

We've reflected this on our NU7 dashboard: https://t.co/daOj9VDHip

— Zakura (@ZakuraZcash) October 20, 2026

Meanwhile, the proposed block height establishes a specific point at which Zcash would begin applying the new consensus rules, replacing the provisional November 5 timetable with a block-based activation target.

Bowe’s proposal received approvals from developers ValarDragon and str4d on October 20. The pull request remained open during the October 21 review, with the official NU7 deployment specification still listing the mainnet activation height as undecided.

The proposal contains another scheduling detail: block 8,939,664 is designated for the future reissuance of funds accumulated under NU7’s Network Sustainability Mechanism.

Before activation, the selected height must be incorporated into the deployment specification and compatible node software.

The November timetable follows developer agreement on NU7 reached in September, when participating engineering teams settled on the upgrade’s principal features and established the mainnet target.

In the September 18 development timeline, Zcash developer Sean Bowe identified October 20 as the date for confirming the activation height following experience with the test network.

The network has already completed its initial testnet activation. On October 4, NU7 became active at testnet block 4,465,026, allowing developers to evaluate the proposed changes before mainnet deployment.

As crypto.news previously reported, the testnet rollout introduced faster target blocks, updated transaction rules and the planned mechanism for handling network fees.

NU7 cuts Zcash block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds
Under ZIP 218, Zcash will reduce its target block spacing by two-thirds, producing a new block approximately every 25 seconds instead of 75 seconds.

The adjustment would triple the expected frequency of block production, reducing the time users typically wait for successive transaction confirmations.

For example, three confirmations would take approximately 75 seconds under the new target, compared with 225 seconds under the existing schedule. Actual confirmation times can vary because block production is not perfectly uniform.

The upgrade introduces limits on shielded transaction activity within individual pools and across the network. These restrictions are intended to manage the additional processing and wallet synchronization demands associated with faster blocks.

The Zcash Foundation described those changes in its October 2 Zebra 7.0.0 release candidate announcement, which introduced NU7 support for testnet operators.

Although the block-production schedule is changing, NU7 does not introduce a new transaction format. Existing version 5 and version 6 transactions remain valid under the deployment specification.

The planned changes retain the network’s existing monetary supply cap and preserve its established mining reward halving schedule.

Zcash introduces fee mechanism with reissuance planned for 2031
NU7 will introduce the Network Sustainability Mechanism, which temporarily removes 60% of transaction fees collected in each block from circulation.

Under ZIP 235 and ZIP 237, those funds accumulate in a publicly tracked network balance before being gradually reissued through future miner rewards.

The developers have selected February 2031 as the approximate starting point for reissuance, with the new proposal assigning mainnet block 8,939,664 to that event.

The arrangement does not create additional ZEC beyond the network’s supply cap. Funds paid out through the mechanism must have been removed from circulation or otherwise left unclaimed under the applicable consensus rules.

During September’s coinholder governance poll, approximately 98.9% of participating ZEC supported preserving the existing halving schedule, while 96.6% favored beginning the sustainability mechanism’s reissuance in February 2031.

The same vote recorded approximately 99.9% support for reducing block times to 25 seconds, with nearly 2.4 million ZEC participating.

Sprout transactions will become invalid after NU7 activation
One of NU7’s permanent changes concerns Sprout, the original shielded transaction system introduced when Zcash launched in 2016.

The upgrade disables version 4 transactions, which are required to spend funds held in the legacy Sprout pool.

Consequently, coins remaining in Sprout when NU7 activates will become unspendable under the upgraded consensus rules. Holders must move those funds into a supported pool before activation to retain access.

Version 5 and version 6 transactions are unaffected by this particular restriction.

The deployment specification identifies the Sprout shutdown as part of ZIP 2003, alongside the block-spacing changes, shielded action limits and revised fee mechanism.

The specification permits operators running unsupported software to remain connected at activation, potentially following an incompatible pre-NU7 chain. Deployment instructions therefore require node operators to upgrade their software before the network reaches the selected activation block.

Zcash (ZEC) surged about 12% over the past 24 hours, as developers agreed on a mainnet activation block for the network’s NU7 upgrade, expected in early November.

The token traded around $1,270 at last look on Wednesday, according to CoinGecko. The rally coincided with a Tuesday GitHub proposal by Zcash developer Sean Bowe setting the activation at block 3,543,405, expected around Nov. 5.

The value of the privacy-focused cryptocurrency that uses advanced trustless zero-knowledge proofs is up more than 148% year to date.

“Height agreed at ZIP editor meeting,” Bowe wrote, adding that the team still needed to finalize the upgrade specifications before merging the proposal. Two developers approved the changes.

The Zakura NU7 dashboard also lists the upgrade as pending on mainnet at block 3,543,405, with activation expected around Nov. 5.

NU7 aims to reduce Zcash’s target block time by two-thirds to 25 seconds, allowing transactions to receive confirmations more quickly. The upgrade from 75-second block time has been undergoing testing since early October.

Meanwhile, the Zcash Foundation’s NU7 readiness tracker showed six of 12 tasks completed, with remaining work involving Zebra node synchronization issues and mainnet preparations. Developers have not confirmed whether these outstanding issues could affect the planned activation date.

Zcash (ZEC) climbed approximately 12% in the past 24 hours, after developers agreed to a mainnet activation block for the network’s NU7 upgrade, anticipated for early November.

Developers confirm activation block and timelineZcash traded near $1,270 on Wednesday, as reported by CoinGecko. The price increase followed a GitHub proposal on Tuesday from Zcash developer Sean Bowe, who specified block 3,543,405 as the target for mainnet activation. This block is estimated to be reached around November 5.

Bowe noted in the developer discussion, “Height agreed at ZIP editor meeting,” while emphasizing the need for the team to complete the upgrade specifications before approving the final merge. Two Zcash developers have signed off on these changes so far.

The ZIP editor meeting resulted in an agreement on the block height, with pending specifications yet to be finalized before the proposal moves forward.

The Zakura NU7 dashboard also lists the network upgrade as pending at block 3,543,405, with mainnet activation expected in early November.

NU7 upgrade: faster block times and improved efficiencyThe NU7 upgrade is designed to shorten Zcash’s target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, effectively reducing transaction confirmation times on the network. Testing for this upgrade has been underway since early October, according to project documentation.

Mini dictionary: ZIP editor meeting – A session where developers responsible for Zcash Improvement Proposals (ZIPs) review, discuss, and finalize critical changes to the protocol.

UpgradeCurrent block timeTarget block timeExpected activationNU775 seconds25 secondsEarly November (block 3,543,405)Remaining tasks before activationThe Zcash Foundation’s NU7 readiness tracker showed that six out of 12 required tasks have been completed as of the latest update. Pending work includes resolving Zebra node synchronization issues and finalizing preparations for the mainnet launch.

Developers have not yet indicated whether these outstanding issues could impact the planned activation schedule. No further comments were issued regarding potential delays.

Six of twelve upgrade tasks are complete, with Zebra node sync and mainnet readiness still in progress, according to the Zcash Foundation’s tracker.

The NU7 upgrade was previously activated on the Zcash testnet, setting the stage for next month’s mainnet deployment if all preparations are finalized on time.

Zcash (ZEC) rose 12% to near $1,270 after developers set block 3,543,405 for the NU7 upgrade, which cuts block time from 75 to 25 seconds around November 5.

Zcash ($ZEC) rose about 12% over 24 hours and traded near $1,270 on Wednesday, after developers agreed on an activation block for Network Upgrade 7 (NU7), according to GN Crypto, citing CoinGecko data. CoinMarketCap data showed a similar move, with ZEC up 12.35% in 24 hours.

NU7 activation set for block 3,543,405The privacy-focused cryptocurrency's developers have chosen block 3,543,405 as the mainnet activation point for NU7. The block is expected to be reached around November 5. The height was proposed on GitHub on Tuesday by Zcash developer Sean Bowe, according to GN Crypto.

The main change is a shorter block time. NU7 reduces the target block time to two-thirds of its current level, cutting it from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, as CoinCodex reports. Faster blocks mean transactions can receive confirmations sooner, which matters for wallets, exchanges and applications that depend on quick settlement.

The date is still a target rather than a final schedule. CoinCodex notes that the proposal has been approved by developers ValarDragon and str4d, but the activation height still needs to be incorporated into the network's deployment specification. NU7 was rolled out on the testnet on October 4, it adds.

Other changes and open tasksNU7 also introduces a mechanism that temporarily removes 60% of transaction fees from circulation, with the aim of returning them to miners later, BitBase reports. The same report says funds left in the legacy Sprout pool will no longer be spendable after the upgrade, so holders with funds there need to migrate them beforehand.

Readiness work is continuing. GN Crypto reports that the Zcash Foundation's NU7 readiness tracker listed six of 12 tasks as complete. Remaining items include resolving synchronization issues with Zebra nodes and preparing the mainnet. Developers have not confirmed whether those issues could affect the planned activation date, the outlet adds.

For traders, the upgrade is a near-term catalyst to watch alongside the technical rollout. Price moves around protocol upgrades can reverse if timelines slip, and ZEC has been volatile in recent weeks. Blockchain Reporter noted that it dipped to about $1,049 on October 18 before recovering.

SourcesGN Crypto: Zcash Rises 12% After Developers Set NU7 Activation Block

CoinCodex: Zcash Targets Nov. 5 for NU7 Upgrade

BitBase: Zcash Developers Set November 5 Target for NU7 Upgrade

Zcash (ZEC) sharply rebounded to the $1,260–$1,285 range after falling close to $1,040 earlier in October. This recovery drew renewed attention from traders toward the key resistance zone at $1,300 to $1,350, a level that has historically triggered selling pressure during past rallies.

ETF outflows highlight mixed institutional appetiteGrayscale, one of the largest digital asset managers, has seen significant withdrawals from its Zcash exchange-traded fund, known as ZCSH. Market data cited approximately $115.5 million in redemptions across 13 trading sessions in October. These numbers reflect actual reported withdrawals, not adjusted monthly net flows.

Additional fund-flow data indicated $10.4 million in net outflows from ZCSH on October 19, following $14.8 million in redemptions just four days prior. Notably, a modest $1.6 million in fresh capital returned to the fund on October 20, pointing to ongoing activity despite a general trend of outflows.

Analysts noted that while institutional demand for ZCSH has become inconsistent, it has not disappeared entirely. This shift is seen as important, given that ETF investment previously supported Zcash’s surge in September, even as the market faced the risks associated with increased leverage.

It is important to note that ETF redemptions do not always lead to an equal decline in ZEC’s overall market capitalization. Changes in ETF assets depend both on investor flows and on the underlying price of the cryptocurrency.

DateZCSH Net FlowOctober 15-$14.8 millionOctober 19-$10.4 millionOctober 20+$1.6 millionGrayscale is a major digital asset management firm that specializes in launching and managing cryptocurrency investment products. The ZCSH ETF allows institutional and professional investors to gain regulated exposure to Zcash without holding the asset directly.

Mini dictionary: Grayscale, a leading digital asset manager, is widely known for creating large-cap cryptocurrency investment trusts and ETFs that provide indirect access to crypto assets for institutional investors.

Liquidations drive short-term ZEC volatilityVolatility in Zcash has also been fueled by heavy activity in derivatives markets. Over a 24-hour period, ZEC futures liquidations reached approximately $11.74 million, with nearly 83% coming from short positions. The forced closing of these contracts can prompt a surge of buying, especially in spot markets that may lack the liquidity to absorb rapid volume shifts caused by leveraged trading.

ZEC futures liquidations topped $11.74 million in 24 hours, with short positions making up almost 83% of that total. Forced closure of bearish bets has contributed to rapid price swings in both directions.

Analysts observed that Zcash’s September rally was also driven in part by aggressive derivatives trading, which heightened the speed and magnitude of price moves—both upward and downward. The most recent recovery occurred after a notable October decline, with ZEC trading more than 25% below its late-September high.

Technical analysts now identify $1,300–$1,350 as the primary resistance zone. A clear move above this level could open up the possibility of a run toward $1,400. However, failure to maintain momentum would leave the rally vulnerable.

Price ZonePossible Scenario$1,040 (recent low)Support level if renewed weakness$1,200Key support to watch$1,300–$1,350Resistance zone, target for upside breakout$1,400Potential next target if breakout succeeds$1,650 (Sept high)Major resistance above current levelsUpcoming NU7 upgrade could provide new catalystIn addition to market dynamics, developers are preparing Zcash’s next network upgrade, NU7. This proposal aims to improve block production speed and introduce protocol enhancements but will only be activated once development and testing milestones are met.

Mini dictionary: NU7 is Zcash’s upcoming network upgrade, intended to increase transaction efficiency and enhance core protocol functionality. Its launch depends on technical readiness and successful testing.

The possibility of NU7, alongside Zcash’s ongoing inclusion in institutional investment lists for October, underscores sustained interest in the asset despite persistent volatility in its price and investor flows.

NU7 retires the transaction format Sprout depends on, so old shielded ZEC needs to move before activation.

Zcash’s NU7 upgrade is lining up for mainnet block 3,543,405, expected around Nov. 5th, per Zakura, the new full node project led by Zcash cofounder Sean Bowe. Once NU7 activates, any ZEC left in the network’s original Sprout pool will be stuck.

What’s the Scoop?
Why Sprout goes dark: ZIP 2003 retires Zcash’s old “v4” transaction format, and Sprout, the shielded pool Zcash launched with in 2016, only works with v4 transactions.

Frozen, not burned: The coins won’t be destroyed, and a future fix isn’t ruled out. Still, the ZIP cautions that Sprout spending “may never be reenabled,” so holders shouldn’t count on a rescue.

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Node operators too: NU7 skips Zcash’s usual ~3 month runway between new node software and activation, and ZIP 259 warns that stragglers could keep running on the old, pre-NU7 chain.

Also tracking: Beyond the Sprout deadline, NU7 brings 25-second blocks and a fee-recycling Network Sustainability Mechanism, both of which we highlighted in September.

William M. Peaster

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William M. Peaster, Senior Writer, has been with Bankless since January 2021. Immersed in Ethereum since 2017, he covers the onchain frontier with a particular interest in art, games, and other culture apps. He has a background in creative writing and writes fiction in his free time.

Crypto asset manager Grayscale continues to take innovative steps regarding cryptocurrencies. In its latest announcement, Grayscale stated that it will allow investors to invest in spot cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin directly in exchange for shares in its ETFs and other investment products.

Accordingly, Grayscale has implemented an in-kind subscription model in 10 of its products, allowing investors to exchange eligible digital assets for direct investment product shares. The new model aims to facilitate the integration of crypto assets into traditional portfolio management.

The Need for Cash Conversion is Decreasing!
Grayscale has announced a new investment method for some of its investment products. This system allows investors to directly exchange their crypto assets for shares in Grayscale’s investment products without first having to convert them to cash.

The company stated that this method could reduce operational burdens stemming from custody and security processes, lower transaction costs in crypto markets, and facilitate the inclusion of digital assets in traditional investment portfolios.

10 Cryptocurrencies, Including Bitcoin and Ethereum, on the List!
According to Grayscale, the subscription service includes 10 investment products, including Bitcoin and Ethereum: “Bitcoin, Ethereum, Avalanche, Chainlink, Dogecoin, Hyperliquid, Solana, XRP, Sui, Zcash”

“Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC)

Grayscale Ethereum Staking Mini ETF (ETH)

Grayscale Avalanche Staking ETF (GAVA)

Grayscale Chainlink Trust ETF (GLNK)

Grayscale Dogecoin Trust ETF (GDOG)

Grayscale Hyperliquid Staking ETF (HYPG)

Grayscale Solana Staking ETF (GSOL)

Grayscale Sui Staking ETF (GSUI)

Grayscale XRP Trust ETF (GXRP)

The Zcash ETF (ZCSH)”

Finally, according to Grayscale’s statement, the service is available to eligible investors. Clients wishing to trade on the primary market must work with authorized participants or the institutions that act as intermediaries for these participants.

*This is not investment advice.

Follow our Telegram and X account now for exclusive news, analytics and on-chain data!

Faster blocks are the headline. The Sprout pool freeze, which would strand about $26 million of old coins, is the detail holders are checking

Zcash developers are due to decide today whether the NU7 network upgrade goes to mainnet and which block height activates it. Engineers from the Zcash Foundation, ZODL, Shielded Labs and other core teams are expected to settle the parameters, ahead of a November 5 target.

NU7's main change cuts the network's target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, which would make confirmations roughly three times faster. It went live on the public testnet on October 4 at block 4,465,026, a couple of days ahead of the schedule the Zcash Foundation had published with the first Zebra release candidate. Developers have had about two weeks of testnet data to judge.

Zcash upgrades activate at a block height rather than on a calendar date, and no mainnet height has been set. Until one is assigned, November 5 is a plan, not a commitment, and today's call is where it either firms up or slips.

The part holders are watchingNU7 disables legacy version 4 transactions. That closes the oldest shielded pool, Sprout, which held about 22,309 ZEC on October 17, around $26 million and 0.13% of supply. Holders keep their keys but cannot spend those coins on the upgraded network unless they move them first. Coin holders backed the cutoff in an earlier vote. The upgrade specification, ZIP 259, leaves the mainnet reissuance height to be calculated once the activation height exists, so the deadline for migrating Sprout funds is not yet fixed.

The upgrade also introduces a Network Sustainability Mechanism that would route part of transaction fees into a reserve for future mining rewards. ZIP 259 warns that operators who do not run compatible software may stay online and follow the old rules, which makes the activation height a coordination point for exchanges, wallets and node operators.

What the price is doingZEC traded near $1,140 on October 19, about 29% below its late-September peak near $1,600. One analysis this week noted that the upgrade does not directly create token demand, so the decision matters more to operators than to the chart. Shielded transactions, meanwhile, recently reached as much as 56% of activity, a level not seen in years.

Where this fitsBlockhead covered the start of this run in August, when Zcash's nine-year losing streak against bitcoin ended. The coin has since had a sharp rally and a sharp retreat, and the upgrade is the next scheduled test of whether the project can ship technical changes on time while its price carries a premium.

What happens after the callDevelopers are expected to publish the activation height after the meeting. Exchanges and custodians that hold Sprout-era coins will want to confirm migration plans before then. A slip would push the dates back and leave the Sprout deadline open. A confirmed height starts a countdown for everyone running a node.

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2 min read

Zcash's NU7 upgrade will speed transactions by a factor of three. (Shutterstock)Summary

Zcash developers agreed to activate the NU7 upgrade at block 3,543,405, expected to be around Nov. 5, though the proposal still requires final integration into deployment and node software.The new version will cut block times to 25 seconds from 75 seconds, potentially reducing the wait for three transaction confirmations from nearly four minutes to about 75 seconds.The upgrade will temporarily remove 60% of block fees from circulation and disable Zcash’s original Sprout privacy system, making any funds left there unspendable.Zcash is a step closer to confirming a change that would speed payments on the privacy-focused blockchain by a factor of three after developers settled on the exact block at which the upgrade, known as NU7, would switch on.

Zcash developer Sean Bowe filed a proposal on Tuesday to set activation at block 3,543,405, a height agreed at a meeting of Zcash Improvement Proposal (ZIP) editors, the group that signs off on changes to the blockchain’s rules.

Node software Zakura's public upgrade dashboard now lists that block as the planned mainnet activation point, around Nov. 5.

NU7 cuts the time between blocks, the batches of transactions added to the chain, from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. An exchange that waits for three confirmations before crediting a ZEC (ZEC) deposit could reduce the delay from nearly four minutes to about a minute and a quarter. The upgrade has run on Zcash's test network since early October.

Read More: Inside Zcash's new node that targets Visa-scale privacy at 50,000 transactions per second

NU7 also pulls 60% of the fees collected in each block out of circulation. Those coins will be paid back to miners starting around February 2031, while preserving Zcash's existing schedule for reducing mining rewards by 50%.

Sprout, Zcash's original privacy system, shuts down entirely. Any coins still sitting there when NU7 activates become unspendable, so holders have until activation in early November to move them.

Bowe's proposal had two approvals, but had yet to be merged into the deployment specification as of 08:00 UTC Wednesday, which still listed the mainnet activation height as undecided. Node software must also include the chosen height before the upgrade can take effect.

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Altcoins

20 October 2026 | 17:25 Zcash (ZEC) is up more than 6% on Tuesday, trading near $1,224 after buyers stepped in at support near $1,140 and lifted the price above its October downtrend line during the session.

Key Takeaways

Tuesday’s range runs from about $1,118 to $1,232, after a $1,151 open. The 50-day SMA (~$1,270) and 0.236 Fib (~$1,350) sit 4% and 10% higher. ZEC trades about 28% below its late-September peak near $1,690. Buyers step in at $1,140 ZEC ran more than sixfold between early June and late September, climbing from around $254 to its 2026 peak near $1,690. The correction that followed carved out a short falling channel and dragged price back to the 0.382 Fibonacci level of that rally, near $1,140.

ZEC daily chart, Oct 20. Source: TradingView The coin spent roughly a week chopping around that level, with wicks dipping toward $1,050, but sellers could not turn those dips into a deeper slide. Tuesday’s session flipped the tone. After a brief dip below its open, ZEC ripped higher and broke above the channel’s upper boundary, though the daily candle has yet to close.

Two hurdles overhead The first is the 50-day SMA near $1,270. ZEC slipped under the average in mid-October, so getting back above it could mark the end of the short-term downtrend rather than just another bounce inside it.

The second is the 0.236 Fib near $1,350. That level marked the start of the October breakdown and capped a mid-month bounce, when a wick reached about $1,345 before sellers took over again.

Momentum improves, but the breakout still needs a close RSI has turned up to about 49, crossing above its signal line and nearing the 50 midpoint. A push above 50 could signal that buyers are regaining short-term control after three weeks of fading readings.

Bears still have a fair point. The candle is still open, price sits under the 50-day SMA, and the last time ZEC rallied into resistance this month, the move faded within days.

ZEC Price Ladder

September peak$1,690

0.236 Fib · major resistance$1,350

50-day SMA · first hurdle$1,270

Current price$1,224

0.382 Fib · support held so far$1,140

0.5 Fib · below $1,000$970

100-day SMA$920

0.618 Fib$800

200-day SMA · long-term base$690

Potential Moves ZEC sits between the 50-day SMA overhead and the support it has just defended below.

Upside

A daily close above the 50-day SMA this week could confirm the channel breakout and open room toward the $1,350 area. A move through that level could put the September highs back in view.

Rejection

A rejection at the 50-day SMA could send ZEC back to retest $1,140. A daily close below it before the end of October could expose the 0.5 Fib near $970.

Bigger picture: ZEC still trades more than 380% above its June low, and all three daily SMAs are rising. A drop through $970 could bring the 100-day SMA and the 0.618 Fib into view.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency prices are volatile.

Author

Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Coindoo and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, with nearly a decade of experience covering financial markets - crypto first, then everything else. It started in 2016 with Bitcoin. Like most people at the time, he didn't fully understand it - so he kept digging. Blockchain, tokenomics, the projects, the cycles. That curiosity never stopped, and eventually pulled him into traditional markets too: equities, commodities, macro. Not because he left crypto behind, but because you can't properly understand one without the other. What drives him is straightforward: he wants to know why something is happening, not just that it's happening. Most market coverage stops at the headline - price up, price down, here's a chart. Alex finds that kind of reporting actively unhelpful. If you walk away from an article without understanding the mechanism behind the move, what did you actually learn? He holds a degree in Tourism from New Bulgarian University - not the most obvious path into financial markets, but markets have a way of pulling in people who are simply too curious to stay out. He has authored over 200 in-depth analyses and more than 10,000 articles across crypto and traditional finance. He still thinks every day in markets teaches him something new. That's probably why he hasn't stopped.

In brief Zcash rose 8.5% in 24 hours to $1,215.85, the best performer among the largest tokens. Total crypto market cap climbed 1.68% to $2.78 trillion, while the Fear & Greed Index sits at a neutral 51. Oil near $110 a barrel and Treasury yields above 5% remain the main threat to the rebound. Crypto markets bounced on Tuesday, and Zcash led the rebound. The privacy coin rose 8.5% in 24 hours to $1,215.85, lifting its market capitalization to $20.57 billion.

Bitcoin gained 1.57% to $83,195, and Ethereum climbed 2.90% to $2,463.35. Nearly every major crypto asset that isn’t a stablecoin finished the day higher.

Myriad: How high will Bitcoin go? Click to make your prediction.The broader market followed. Total crypto market capitalization rose 1.68% to $2.78 trillion, and the CMC20 index, which tracks the 20 largest cryptocurrencies, gained 1.45% to $169.87 per unit, meaning the samller caps played a more relevant role in today’s surge. This was also expected after days of heavy losses, especially among the coins with the largest market capitalizations and most trading volume.

The bounce followed a rebound in tech. Chip and AI stocks recovered on Monday from last week's selloff, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining about 1.1%, and crypto has often moved in step with technology shares. Bitcoin also found buyers near $80,000 to $81,000

Money from traditional investors helped. Bitcoin and other crypto exchange-traded funds, which let investors hold the assets through a regular brokerage account, recorded net inflows of $526.7 million,. Monday's inflows were the biggest in a month.

Bitcoin ETF flows. Image: DecryptTreasury yields remain the main pressure point, with the 10-year note above 5%. A yield is the annual return investors demand for lending to the U.S. government. When it climbs, safe bonds compete with riskier assets like crypto and stocks for the same money.

The macro backdrop is still tense. Brent crude oil trades near $110 a barrel, and expensive oil feeds inflation by raising the cost of fuel, shipping and goods. Higher inflation raises the odds that the Federal Reserve keeps rates high or even raises them again, which pushes bond yields up. Higher yields pull money out of risk assets, so crypto tends to fall when oil spikes and rise when it cools.

Zcash outran everyone for several reasons. It had dropped about 25% over the past month, so the bounce partly reflects an oversold market in which traders who had borrowed to bet on higher prices were already forced out through liquidations. Liquidations happen when an exchange automatically closes a borrowed-money position after losses reach a set limit, which adds selling pressure. With that selling spent, the price had room to snap back.

Zcash price data. Image: Investing.comZcash also has its own set of potential catalysts. Developers are due to decide on the NU7 network upgrade today, and traders often buy ahead of such events. Privacy coins have also been strong lately. Competing privacy coin Monero is up 15.29% over seven days to $609.87.

Zcash is a high-beta asset, meaning it moves harder than the market in both directions. It’s up 8.5% today compared to Bitcoin's 1.57% gain. It is up only 1.17% over the last seven days, so the day's jump has not yet erased the month's decline.

Crypto market sentiment at the moment is broadly neutral. The Fear & Greed Index, a 0-to-100 gauge of market mood where lower readings mean fear and higher readings mean greed, reads 51. The CoinMarketCap Altcoin Season Index stands at 60. A reading of 75 or higher signals altcoin season, 25 or below signals Bitcoin season, and 60 sits in between, so neither camp has control.

The next test is policy. The Federal Reserve meets on October 27 and 28, and traders will watch whether it signals further rate hikes.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.

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Zcash Foundation picks a longtime insider with deep security roots as its new leader