Zcash Shielded News is a community article format based on the weekly Zcash Ecosystem Digest Newsletter.
Providing insight on current events and informing the community about important news in the Zcash ecosystem.
Check out the best Highlights below
Special Announcement! 🎉
The Zcash Foundation announced this Tuesday the sixth edition of the Zcash Conference (Zcon), which will take place from March 4-7, 2025.
ZconVI will be a fully virtual event, enabling participants from around the globe to join without travel restrictions. The event will showcase how we can achieve Synergy through Decentralization, highlighting the collaborative work of various organizations within our ecosystem.
The sessions are not limited to any specific theme, providing a broad platform for diverse topics and discussions.
Sessions
Day 1
- Tuesday, March 4): Zcash Foundation (ZF) will curate the content, setting the tone for the conference with insightful sessions and discussions.
Day 2
- (Wednesday, March 5): Electric Coin Company (ECC) will take charge of planning, bringing their expertise and vision to the forefront.
Day 3
- (Thursday, March 6): Zcash Community Grants (ZCG) will organize the day's content. Notably, they are encouraged to explore topics beyond their direct funding activities.
Day 4
- (Friday, March 7): ZecHub will conclude the event with a day filled with innovative ideas and community-driven discussions.
This Saturday, the Zcash community entered a new era!
The Network Upgrade 6 (NU6) was successfully activated, introducing a new Zcash Development Fund (Dev Fund).
This upgrade replaces the previous Direct Funding Model (DFM)—which allocated 20% of all block rewards among three entities: Zcash Community Grants (ZCG), Electric Coin Company (ECC), and Zcash Foundation (ZF)—with the innovative Non-Direct Funding Model (NDFM).
Under the new system, 12% of block rewards are now directed to a secure vault known as the “Lockbox.” These funds will accumulate until the Zcash community reaches consensus on a non-direct disbursement mechanism. This approach ensures sustained support for essential projects that drive Zcash’s development and adoption.
As part of NU6, wallet addresses for ECC and ZF have been removed from the protocol. However, ZCG will continue to receive 8% of block rewards through the Flexible Payment Fund (FPF) for an additional year. This decision, made through a community vote, allows ZCG to maintain community-driven development via grants.
The activation of NU6 marks a significant step forward, empowering the Zcash community to chart a decentralized and collaborative path for its future.
The NU6 upgrade also introduces Zcash's second halving—an event that occurs every four years, reducing the block subsidy by 50%. This halving lowers miners’ rewards from 3.125 ZEC to 1.5625 ZEC per block and decreases the rate at which new ZEC is generated.
The halving represents a significant economic change, aligning with principles of scarcity and value, similar to Bitcoin.
Building on NU6, the ZCG announced this week its new funding approach for organizations involved in the Zcash community in 2025.
According to the committee, its goal is to create stability and certainty for community projects that have been established over the past few years and have had a positive impact on the protocol, such as ZecHub, Zcash Brasil, Zcash en Español, and ZK Club.
These groups will be able to submit either an annual proposal or, if they wish, a quarterly one. However, no additional funding for community groups will be available from ZCG in 2025.
The Financial Privacy Foundation (FPF) will contribute $75,000 to the funding pool, while ZCG will provide the remaining resources, with amounts determined based on the total approved grants.
Eligible organizations must submit their proposals by December 6 through the standard grant process. All requests must cover the entire year (starting January 1, 2025), with the option to include monthly or quarterly reporting.
By December 30, ZCG will complete the standard proposal review process, and the FPF will have no influence over funding decisions.
The committee also issued a note stating:
"Going forward, ZCG will apply strict criteria for community-focused grants, prioritizing established communities with a proven track record of impact in community building, effective organization, and collaboration with external entities. We will also favor communities that are recognized and valued by key members of the ecosystem."
With an annual roadmap, teams will be able to focus more effectively on their development, delivering greater benefits to the community.
Josh began this week's update by recalling an episode where he was climbing a rock face in the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado, without a rope and in a risky manner. During the climb, he lost feeling in his fingers but was able to hold on and continue, reflecting on the danger he was in at that moment.
Aligning with the theme of the update, Josh mentioned the collaboration between ECC, the Zcash Foundation, and the community to activate NU6 this past Saturday, highlighting mutual trust and teamwork. Just as climbers face challenging mountains, Josh compared the process of building and advancing Zcash to a slow, deliberate, and relentless climb, emphasizing the importance of preparation, improvisation, and the continuous progress the community keeps making.
ECC Progress
Zashi 📱
Zashi Design
ECC is working with an outsourced animator on a new project.
In progress: High-priority focus on integration designs for the Keystone Wallet.
iOS 🍎
Unique Installs: 4.08k
Total Downloads 4.68k
AppStore Rating: 4.9 *****
Zashi 1.2.3 + SDK 2.2.7 Release
AddressBook encryption resolved
Testing + bug fixes
Released to Production!
Keystone Hardware Wallet Integration
Keystone SDK fixes
Animated QR player and scanner implemented and tested in Zashi
Started iOS SDK work - refactor of the account
Flexa
1.0.6 adopted & tested
A disclaimer for Integrations screen implemented
New status screen implemented for cases when Keychain fails
Android 🤖
Total de Downloads: 2.43k
Total Installs(incl. Open Beta): 9.16k
Google Play/FDroid Rating: 4.656
Zashi 1.2.2 + SDK 2.2.6 Release
The team finalized the Address book auto-backup feature that enables user migration on a new device
They added the ability to switch the system language on the Zashi app level
Bug Fixes:
Fixed seed phrase blurring on the Seed screen for pre-Android 12 devices
Fixed the first Zashi app launch authentication decision logic
ECC also fixed this newly redesigned Seed screen UI for very small screens
Released to Production!
Flexa
Flexa 1.0.6 has been integrated and tested
We added a new Disclaimer widget on the Integrations screen
Keystone Hardware Wallet Integration
Zashi - implementing new designs
SDK - with analyzing PCZTs and multi-account support
Outros 🌐
Regarding the DCG, Josh told us that the event was excellent, although much of the discussions were confidential. Nevertheless, the opportunity to connect with companies like DCG itself, Ripio, Ledger, Railgun, Coin Center, and Brave was valuable and led to good outcomes, such as new downloads for Zashi.
The main highlight during the discussions with executives was the Zashi roadmap, featuring Flexa integration, future support for Maya, and ZSAs (Zcash Standard Assets).
Josh represented ECC in a meeting of the Universal Privacy Alliance (UPA) board this week. The UPA is moving forward with plans to create working groups to support event planning and research on use cases and adoption, in which ECC will be involved.