Zcash Community Grants Committee Google Meet Meeting: Week of July 7, 2025
[Minutes taken by FPF]
Due to travel schedules this meeting was held async with members voting via Signal.
Attendance:
- Artkor
- DecentralistDan
- GGuy
- Jason
- Zerodartz
- Alex (FPF resource, notetaker)
Key Takeaways:
- Open Grants
- Centi and ZSAs
- Remains open for comment.
- Privacy Executive Roundable
- Questions pending.
- Myaza: Spend Crypto Across Africa
- Rejected.
- Qedit: Legal & Compliance Risks
- Questions pending.
- Multifactor: MFKDF2
- Too early to vote.
- Shielded Integration for Cross-Chain Non-Custodial
- Too early to vote.
- Centi and ZSAs
Open Grant Proposals
- Centi and ZSAs
- Centi Ltd proposes a transformative integration of Zcash (ZEC) and Zcash Shielded Assets (ZSA) into its established, compliance-ready financial platform serving 25,000+ users and 500+ merchants across Europe and Africa. This 7-month project will deliver the first regulatory-compliant, commercial-scale deployment of privacy-preserving payments in one of the world’s strictest financial jurisdictions. Key deliverables include a Zcash Wallet Proxy, full point-of-sale merchant integration, remittance network functionality, and the launch of a Swiss Franc–pegged ZSA stablecoin (CCHF). By embedding ZEC and ZSA into Centi’s consumer and merchant interfaces, this project establishes Zcash as a real-world cross-border payment solution, drives mainstream adoption, and creates a replicable model for institutional integration worldwide. They are asking for $350,000. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- Waiting on additional feedback before voting.
- Centi Ltd proposes a transformative integration of Zcash (ZEC) and Zcash Shielded Assets (ZSA) into its established, compliance-ready financial platform serving 25,000+ users and 500+ merchants across Europe and Africa. This 7-month project will deliver the first regulatory-compliant, commercial-scale deployment of privacy-preserving payments in one of the world’s strictest financial jurisdictions. Key deliverables include a Zcash Wallet Proxy, full point-of-sale merchant integration, remittance network functionality, and the launch of a Swiss Franc–pegged ZSA stablecoin (CCHF). By embedding ZEC and ZSA into Centi’s consumer and merchant interfaces, this project establishes Zcash as a real-world cross-border payment solution, drives mainstream adoption, and creates a replicable model for institutional integration worldwide. They are asking for $350,000. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- Privacy Executive RoundtableRoundable
- Privacy-X Executive Roundtable, proposed by Iron Fish Foundation, is a six-month pilot program designed to accelerate adoption of Zcash Shielded Assets (e.g., private USDC) by engaging C-level leaders from wallets, exchanges, AI infrastructure, and fintech companies through a curated virtual salon series. Each session includes live demos, expert speakers, and real-time exploration of integration opportunities, with public-facing deliverables such as “Privacy Pulse” briefs and short video highlights. The project also includes a micro-grant pool to fund up to five Proof-of-Concept (PoC) integrations and provides ZCG/ECC with access to all recordings, transcripts, KPIs, and participant data. A final report will assess the model’s effectiveness and offer recommendations for scaling the series in 2026. They are asking for $51,000. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- ZCG will be requesting additional information from the requestor prior to voting.
- Privacy-X Executive Roundtable, proposed by Iron Fish Foundation, is a six-month pilot program designed to accelerate adoption of Zcash Shielded Assets (e.g., private USDC) by engaging C-level leaders from wallets, exchanges, AI infrastructure, and fintech companies through a curated virtual salon series. Each session includes live demos, expert speakers, and real-time exploration of integration opportunities, with public-facing deliverables such as “Privacy Pulse” briefs and short video highlights. The project also includes a micro-grant pool to fund up to five Proof-of-Concept (PoC) integrations and provides ZCG/ECC with access to all recordings, transcripts, KPIs, and participant data. A final report will assess the model’s effectiveness and offer recommendations for scaling the series in 2026. They are asking for $51,000. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- Myaza: Spend Crypto Across Africa
- Myaza is building ZEC-powered financial infrastructure for Africa, integrating Zcash into a secure multi-currency wallet that enables users to save, spend, and send ZEC with ease. With over 7,000 users already on the platform, this project will embed ZEC into everyday financial use through features like USD virtual cards, mobile top-ups, bill payments, and fiat/stablecoin swaps. Focused on Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, Myaza aims to onboard 100,000 new users by combining practical financial tools with education around digital privacy and crypto adoption, making Zcash a meaningful part of daily life in underbanked markets. They are asking for $101,300. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- ZCG has unanimously voted to reject this proposal. Not in scope for current ZCG priorities.
- Myaza is building ZEC-powered financial infrastructure for Africa, integrating Zcash into a secure multi-currency wallet that enables users to save, spend, and send ZEC with ease. With over 7,000 users already on the platform, this project will embed ZEC into everyday financial use through features like USD virtual cards, mobile top-ups, bill payments, and fiat/stablecoin swaps. Focused on Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, Myaza aims to onboard 100,000 new users by combining practical financial tools with education around digital privacy and crypto adoption, making Zcash a meaningful part of daily life in underbanked markets. They are asking for $101,300. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- Qedit: Legal & Compliance Risks
- Proposer is requesting grant support to engage experienced legal professionals to guide their compliance efforts as they finalize development of Zcash Shielded Assets (ZSAs). Given the growing regulatory scrutiny of privacy-focused blockchain technologies, they aim to ensure their work aligns with applicable legal frameworks. Grant funds will help cover the rising costs of working with a specialized legal team to review our technical approach, evaluate potential regulatory impacts, and provide informed guidance as we prepare ZSAs for integration into the Zcash protocol. Requestor is asking for $95,000. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- ZCG has requested additional detail from the requestor prior to voting.
- Proposer is requesting grant support to engage experienced legal professionals to guide their compliance efforts as they finalize development of Zcash Shielded Assets (ZSAs). Given the growing regulatory scrutiny of privacy-focused blockchain technologies, they aim to ensure their work aligns with applicable legal frameworks. Grant funds will help cover the rising costs of working with a specialized legal team to review our technical approach, evaluate potential regulatory impacts, and provide informed guidance as we prepare ZSAs for integration into the Zcash protocol. Requestor is asking for $95,000. ZCG members were asked to provide their feedback and vote.
- Multifactor: MFKDF2
- MFKDF2 is an innovative open-source cryptographic project that builds upon the original Multi-Factor Key Derivation Function (MFKDF) to deliver significantly more secure and user-friendly key management for the Web3 ecosystem. Unlike traditional password-based key derivation functions (PBKDFs), MFKDF2 incorporates additional authentication factors—such as TOTP, HOTP, and hardware tokens like YubiKeys—directly into the key derivation process. This approach enables the creation of non-custodial wallets that offer the seamless user experience of custodial solutions while providing exponential security improvements. With support for threshold-based recovery policies and flexible key composition, MFKDF2 represents a critical advancement toward secure, private, and highly usable crypto wallets. This grant will support the development of MFKDF2 into a production-ready, audited, and widely adoptable security primitive. Requestor is asking for $39,000.
- Too early to vote.
- MFKDF2 is an innovative open-source cryptographic project that builds upon the original Multi-Factor Key Derivation Function (MFKDF) to deliver significantly more secure and user-friendly key management for the Web3 ecosystem. Unlike traditional password-based key derivation functions (PBKDFs), MFKDF2 incorporates additional authentication factors—such as TOTP, HOTP, and hardware tokens like YubiKeys—directly into the key derivation process. This approach enables the creation of non-custodial wallets that offer the seamless user experience of custodial solutions while providing exponential security improvements. With support for threshold-based recovery policies and flexible key composition, MFKDF2 represents a critical advancement toward secure, private, and highly usable crypto wallets. This grant will support the development of MFKDF2 into a production-ready, audited, and widely adoptable security primitive. Requestor is asking for $39,000.
- Shielded Integration for Cross-Chain Non-Custodial
- This project proposes integrating Zcash (ZEC) into two existing privacy-preserving tools—SolanaBlender and StealthXMR—to enable anonymous, non-custodial ZEC ⇄ SOL and ZEC ⇄ XMR swaps. SolanaBlender obfuscates SOL transaction history through a series of decoy hops and burn logic, while StealthXMR facilitates secure, script-based swaps between Monero (XMR) and SOL. With Zcash Community Grants support, the team aims to build privacy-preserving cross-chain infrastructure that upholds Zcash’s core values of decentralization, privacy, and financial freedom. This integration will empower users to move in and out of ZEC positions without exposing transaction details or relying on custodial services, thereby enhancing ZEC’s utility in real-world DeFi and peer-to-peer exchange use cases. Requestor is asking for $48,000.
- Too early to vote.
- This project proposes integrating Zcash (ZEC) into two existing privacy-preserving tools—SolanaBlender and StealthXMR—to enable anonymous, non-custodial ZEC ⇄ SOL and ZEC ⇄ XMR swaps. SolanaBlender obfuscates SOL transaction history through a series of decoy hops and burn logic, while StealthXMR facilitates secure, script-based swaps between Monero (XMR) and SOL. With Zcash Community Grants support, the team aims to build privacy-preserving cross-chain infrastructure that upholds Zcash’s core values of decentralization, privacy, and financial freedom. This integration will empower users to move in and out of ZEC positions without exposing transaction details or relying on custodial services, thereby enhancing ZEC’s utility in real-world DeFi and peer-to-peer exchange use cases. Requestor is asking for $48,000.
Brainstorm Session Follow-Ups