Zcash (ZEC) has climbed more than 20% over the past month, pushing above $250. The move has been backed by both ecosystem funding and on-chain usage: on March 27, 2026, Zcash Open Development Lab said it had raised more than $25 million in seed funding from firms including Paradigm and a16z crypto, while the value of ZEC held in shielded pools reached a record $5.17 billion.
New capital is being directed to privacy-focused tools
Zcash Open Development Lab is a key contributor to network development. According to the report, the new capital will support work on the Zodl wallet and other privacy-centered financial tools built in the Zcash ecosystem. That matters because the funding is tied to product development inside the network, not just a market narrative around the token.
The price move is not resting on headlines alone. Usage tied to Zcash’s privacy features has also been rising.
Shielded pool holdings now exceed 31% of circulating supply
At the time of publication, ZEC held in shielded pools was valued at $5.17 billion, equal to more than 31% of the token’s circulating supply. That suggests a larger share of holders are actively using Zcash’s core shielded transaction system instead of treating ZEC only as a tradable asset.
For a privacy-focused network, that metric carries weight. Higher shielded liquidity points to broader use of the chain’s defining feature, which can support token demand through actual utility rather than short-term speculation alone.
Daily chart breakout puts $317 and $400 in focus
On the daily chart, Zcash has confirmed a breakout from a falling wedge, a pattern formed by two descending and converging trendlines. In the source analysis, that setup opens the way for a move toward $400, which lines up with the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level.
Momentum indicators were also leaning positive at the time of writing. The MACD lines were trending upward and Supertrend remained green, both consistent with bullish price action. Still, the rally may run into resistance near $317, a level that has previously acted as an important pivot for Zcash price.
This article is a factual rewrite of the source material and does not constitute investment advice.