As we begin 2026, the Zcash Foundation (ZF) stands at a pivotal moment in its mission to steward privacy-preserving financial infrastructure for the public good.
This year our priorities reflect both maturity and ambition. Across engineering, community engagement, and humanitarian initiatives, we are strengthening the tools that make privacy possible, deepening our collaborative partnerships, and ensuring that the next phase of Zcash development is even more accessible, resilient, and impactful than ever before.
Zebra: A Modern Foundation for Zcash
Following Network Upgrade 7 (NU7), Zebra will become the sole consensus node implementation. Written in Rust, Zebra embodies ZF’s commitment to open, modular, and verifiable infrastructure—designed to make it easier for developers, wallets, and applications to integrate with the Zcash ecosystem.
In 2026, our focus is threefold:
- Performance: Benchmarking Zebra’s performance and addressing regressions to ensure reliable, high-throughput operation.
- Consensus: Completing implementation of NU7 ZIPs to reflect the full consensus of the Zcash community.
- Integration and Privacy: Advancing the Z3 stack—integrating Zebra, Zaino, and Zallet—to create a seamless replacement for legacy zcashd, with built-in Tor support for end-to-end network-level anonymity.
These efforts not only enhance efficiency and usability but also reinforce Zcash’s core promise: privacy that’s both principled and practical.
FROST: Threshold Signatures for the Next Generation
ZF’s work on FROST for Zcash continues to mature. FROST—Flexible Round-Optimized Schnorr Threshold Signatures—enables shielded transactions to be authorized by multiple participants without compromising unlinkability, a key requirement for post-NU7 lockbox distribution.
Our 2026 goals for FROST for Zcash include:
- Releasing FROST v3 and finalizing ZIP-312, moving it out of draft status.
- Integrating FROST into zcash-devtool for broader developer accessibility.
- Implementing a Distributed Key Generation (DKG) protocol to support key generation and secure multiparty signing.
These milestones ensure that multi-party control over Zcash funds is not only possible but easy to implement—empowering institutions and communities alike.
Shielded Aid Initiative (SAI): Privacy in Humanitarian Practice
Through the Shielded Aid Initiative (SAI), ZF continues to demonstrate how privacy-preserving technology can directly improve lives. SAI partners with humanitarian organizations to embed privacy into digital cash programs—ensuring that innovation strengthens protection, rather than creating new risks.
In 2026, SAI’s focus areas are:
- Building credibility through field-tested pilots, high-impact publications, and sector engagement.
- Exploring partnerships that unite service providers, public-good investors, and ecosystem collaborators.
- Advocating for change by helping major donors adopt privacy-by-design requirements.
- Providing direct support to aid organizations through technical assistance, education, and project design.
- Developing trust through a ZK-based identity solution that protects user privacy and enables secure access across humanitarian data systems.
By tackling challenges such as identity without exposure, accountability without surveillance, and compliance across jurisdictions, SAI reinforces a central truth: privacy is not a luxury—it’s a safeguard for human dignity.
Community: A Global Network of Builders
Our community remains at the heart of Zcash. In 2026, we are expanding our events and engagement roadmap to foster collaboration and innovation across every level of the ecosystem.
Mark your calendars for this year’s major gatherings:
- Zcomm (Virtual) — March 24, 2026 | Community Builders
- Zcash Dev Summit (Rome, Italy) — May 8, 2026 | Technical Contributors
- Zcon7 (Cancún, Mexico) — October 27–29, 2026 | Everyone!
Each event provides space for shared learning, problem-solving, and connection—whether you’re a developer, researcher, advocate, or new community member.
Looking Ahead
As ZF continues advancing engineering, community events, and humanitarian initiatives, we do so with deep gratitude for the collaboration, scrutiny, and creativity of the global Zcash community.
Together, we are shaping the infrastructure, tools, and norms that will define privacy in the digital age.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
—
Alex Bornstein (@Alex_ZF)
Executive Director, Zcash Foundation