Zcash plots quantum-proof wallets, Visa-scale throughput as ZEC hits 75% monthly gain

Zcash, the privacy-focused crypto built on zero-knowledge proof technology, is preparing to introduce quantum-recoverable wallets within weeks and expects to complete a full post-quantum transition over the next 12 to 18 months, alongside efforts to scale the network to payment volumes comparable to Visa and Mastercard, Zcash Open Development Lab CEO Josh Swihart told a Consensus Miami audience this week.

Swihart criticized Bitcoin as no longer meeting the standards of private peer-to-peer money envisioned by early cypherpunks, arguing that transparent blockchain balances make users vulnerable to monitoring and asset seizure.

The comments arrived during a sharp rally in ZEC, which has climbed more than 75% in the past 30 days amid fresh backing from Multicoin Capital and a resurgence in privacy-focused crypto narratives.

The asset changed hands at $580 at press time, up 3.5% in the last 24 hours, per CoinGecko.

The quantum threat to privacy coins

The basic threat of quantum computing to crypto is straightforward. Sufficiently powerful quantum computers could, in theory, crack the elliptic curve cryptography that secures virtually every blockchain in existence.

The more dangerous version of this risk is what’s called a “harvest now, decrypt later” strategy: adversaries recording encrypted data today with the expectation of breaking it once quantum hardware matures. For a privacy coin, where the entire value proposition rests on the secrecy of transaction data, that’s existential.

Zcash is advancing a multi-phase quantum-resistance strategy featuring Project Tachyon to defend against future decryption risks. The effort also focuses on strengthening FROST and Zebra infrastructure, with analysts noting that Zcash’s network design may provide a head start over Bitcoin in adapting to quantum-era security challenges.