Zcash climbs 18% in 24 hours as governance vote and Grayscale inflows fuel rally past $1,500

Zcash just had the kind of week most altcoins dream about. ZEC blew past $1,500, logging gains north of 18% in a single day, 28% over the past week, and a staggering 193% over the past month. The privacy-focused token’s market capitalization has now surpassed $23 billion, vaulting it into the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market size. The NU7 vote changed everything The most significant driver appears to be the results of Zcash’s Network Upgrade 7 governance vote, which concluded on September 16. Roughly 2.4 million ZEC participated in the ballot, representing about two-thirds of the eligible supply. The results were overwhelmingly decisive. Approximately 99.9% of participating tokens voted in favor of reduced block times, while 98.9% supported retaining Bitcoin-style halvings as Zcash’s emission schedule going forward. In practical terms, faster block times mean quicker transaction confirmations and a more responsive network. Keeping halvings preserves the deflationary supply mechanics that Bitcoin holders know and love. Grayscale’s ZCSH ETP is hoovering up demand Institutional money has been flowing into Zcash through a familiar channel. Grayscale’s ZCSH exchange-traded product, whi...