Zcash Jumps Toward $1,400 as Paradigm's Matt Huang Confirms ZEC Holding

Zcash (ZEC) vaulted to an intraday peak of roughly $1,388–$1,389 on Thursday, rising as much as 23% over the past 24 hours. The move sharply outperformed Bitcoin, which was up less than 1% near $76,000. The divergence comes as the broader crypto market tries to find footing after the Federal Reserve's latest rate decision, with Bitcoin recently bouncing from post-Fed weakness. ZEC's surge also coincided with a public disclosure from Paradigm cofounder Matt Huang, who said the crypto investment firm owns ZEC and framed Zcash as a privacy-focused complement to Bitcoin. During Thursday's rally, ZEC traded around $1,369 after briefly pushing close to $1,400, according to market data. The token is up about 168% over the past month, a rapid turnaround that has propelled Zcash from a relatively overlooked asset into one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Huang's comments added a fresh institutional catalyst. Alongside confirming Paradigm's ZEC position, he argued for continued developer funding and weighed in on governance, including how the network should balance tokenholder voting with other decision-making mechanisms. The disclosure does not prove Paradigm's buying drove Thursday's move, but it attached a well-known institutional name to an already accelerating ZEC narrative. ZEC's momentum also follows a key vote tied to the upcoming NU7 network upgrade. Coinholders overwhelmingly backed reducing Zcash's target block time to 25 seconds from 75 seconds, a change that could speed up transaction processing if implemented. Separately, 98.9% supported keeping Zcash's existing halving schedule, with about 2.4 million ZEC participating in that vote. These results signal community support, but they do not mean the changes are already live on the network. Preserving the halving structure underscores one of Zcash's closest parallels with Bitcoin: both have capped supplies and scheduled reductions in new issuance. Zcash also offers optional privacy features designed to obscure transaction details. The scarcity narrative remains in focus as Bitcoin reacts to institutional flows, with recent Bitcoin ETF outflows highlighting how quickly demand conditions can shift. For Zcash, the mix of a Bitcoin-style issuance model, increased institutional visibility, and proposed network upgrades has created a distinct catalyst. The near-term question is whether that momentum can carry ZEC decisively through the $1,400 level.