SEC ends investigation, releases positive signals, Zcash surges over 14% in a single day

Recently, a major news has emerged in the privacy cryptocurrency sector. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its multi-year investigation into the Zcash Foundation. This clear regulatory signal has injected strong momentum into the entire privacy coin track, directly driving a significant increase in Zcash’s price.

Event-Driven: SEC Ends Investigation, Market Sentiment Quickly Shifts

According to public statements, the SEC has terminated its investigation into the Zcash Foundation without taking any enforcement action. The foundation responded by saying that this reflects their commitment to transparency and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. This decision is widely interpreted by the market as a positive sign that regulatory attitudes may be softening. Over the past few years, global regulators have increased scrutiny of privacy-enhanced cryptocurrencies, creating considerable uncertainty for related projects. The SEC’s conclusion of the investigation has significantly alleviated market concerns that Zcash might face strict regulatory actions, serving as the most direct catalyst for this round of price increases.

Following the announcement, buying pressure in the Zcash market rapidly intensified. According to Gate data, within 24 hours of the news spreading, Zcash’s price surged over 14%, indicating a dramatic shift in market sentiment.

Price Analysis: Short-Term Volatility Intensifies, Long-Term Trend Remains Strong

Let’s conduct a neutral analysis of Zcash’s market performance based on the latest Gate data.

Latest Market Data Overview (as of January 15, 2026):

• ZEC Current Price: $427.99
• 24h Trading Volume: $15.36M
• Market Cap: $7.09B
• 24h Price Change: +4.09%
• 7d Price Change: -9.90%
• 30d Price Change: +6.88%
• 1y Price Change: +737.15%

Data Analysis:

Despite a recent correction (-9.90%) influenced by news such as changes in the development team, the positive news from the SEC quickly reversed the short-term downturn. Looking at a longer cycle, Zcash demonstrates an astonishing growth momentum, with an annual increase of 737.15%, reflecting ongoing market attention and demand for privacy coins’ long-term value.

Currently, Zcash’s market cap is approximately $7.09B, competing with Monero among privacy coins. Its all-time high remains at $3,191.93 set in 2016, indicating that current prices still have room to grow toward historical peaks, which remains a focus for some market participants.

Sector Observation: Collective Performance of Privacy Coins in Early 2026

Zcash’s rise is not an isolated event. Since the beginning of 2026, with deeper discussions on blockchain privacy technology and some regulatory clarifications, the overall performance of the privacy coin sector has been active.

Investors seem to be reassessing the necessity of privacy features in digital currencies and the compliant development paths. In today’s increasingly digital and transparent financial landscape, cryptocurrencies offering optional privacy provide the possibility to meet specific user needs within regulatory frameworks. Zcash’s use of zero-knowledge proof technology allows users to choose between fully shielded transactions (shielded transactions) and transparent transactions (public transactions). This design balances privacy and compliance, which may be one of the reasons for its attention.

Ecosystem and Technology: Zcash’s Moat and Current Challenges

Zcash’s core competitiveness lies in its adoption of zk-SNARKs zero-knowledge proof technology, which allows verification of transaction validity without revealing sender, receiver, or transaction amount information. Although recent personnel changes in its core development team, Electric Coin Company, have caused some short-term fluctuations and market concerns, Zcash’s open-source nature and ongoing ecosystem development driven by the foundation keep its technical foundation and community support solid.

Currently, the main challenges facing the Zcash network include increasing the adoption rate of shielded transactions to enhance overall network privacy, and continuously upgrading technology to address potential security threats and maintain a competitive edge.

Future Outlook

The SEC’s conclusion of the investigation undoubtedly clears a major cloud of uncertainty for Zcash. However, the future development of privacy coins remains closely tied to the evolution of global regulatory environments. How to find a sustainable balance between innovation, user privacy protection, and compliance with anti-money laundering regulations worldwide will be a common challenge for all privacy coin projects.

For users interested in this sector, it is more important to deeply understand the principles of privacy technology, project governance structures, and regulatory policies across different jurisdictions than merely focusing on price fluctuations. Gate will continue to provide users with real-time market data, in-depth information, and secure trading services for frontier digital assets like ZEC.