Zcash (ZEC)
Unlock Schedule
Zcash (ZEC) Token Unlock & Vesting Schedule
As of October 16, 2026, 16.99 million of the 21 million ZEC (80.90%) have been released. The schedule is ongoing, with no final release date. Over the next 12 months it releases 627,541 ZEC (all estimated) mostly from PoW Miner Block Rewards and Coinholder-Controlled Fund, New Block Subsidies, worth about $766.48 million at today's price (3.69% of the market cap). Today's release is an estimated 1,793 ZEC from Coinholder-Controlled Fund, New Block Subsidies, PoW Miner Block Rewards and Zcash Community Grants, Second-to-Third-Halving Streams.
The chart shows gross modeled releases of every allocation: vesting unlocks, new issuance and reserve distributions, each allocation counted once. These have different meanings; a scheduled release is not evidence that tokens entered circulation or were sold. Review the coverage, sources and assumptions below.
Each color segment in the chart corresponds to a specific allocation group described in the Allocations section below. Underlying assumptions and data models used to reconstruct this schedule are explained in detail under Assumptions, while broader utility insights and token use cases are covered in Tokenomics & Utility.
Tokenomics & Utility
Supply and block rewards
ZEC has a maximum supply of 21 million coins. New coins enter circulation through block rewards, which are scheduled to fall over time through halvings. This gives the currency a predictable issuance plan rather than a supply set by a central issuer. Miners receive rewards for producing blocks, and transaction fees also provide an incentive to process payments. (z.cash)
Part of the block reward supports development. Under the Community and Coinholder Funding Model, 8% of the block subsidy goes to Zcash Community Grants and 12% goes to a coinholder-controlled fund. The grants program supports ecosystem work, while the coinholder fund is designed for allocations guided by ZEC holders. The model is set to run through the network’s third halving, giving the community time to consider what funding approach should follow. (zips.z.cash)
ZEC’s main utility is paying and receiving value, whether through transparent or shielded transfers. It also pays network fees. Wallet fee guidance accounts for the work a transaction asks the network to perform, such as the number of inputs and outputs, rather than treating every payment as identical. Holding ZEC can also matter in community processes that seek input from coinholders on funding and upgrades. (zips.z.cash)
Upcoming ZEC Releases
| Period | Allocation | Type | Amount | Value | % of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16 – 31, 2026 | PoW Miner Block Rewards | Issuance, estimated | 22.9K | $28M | 0.11% |
| Coinholder-Controlled Fund, New Block Subsidies | Issuance, estimated | 3.5K | $4.2M | 0.02% | |
| Zcash Community Grants, Second-to-Third-Halving Streams | Issuance, estimated | 2.3K | $2.8M | 0.01% | |
| Nov 2026 | PoW Miner Block Rewards | Issuance, estimated | 43K | $52.5M | 0.20% |
| Coinholder-Controlled Fund, New Block Subsidies | Issuance, estimated | 6.5K | $7.9M | 0.03% | |
| Zcash Community Grants, Second-to-Third-Halving Streams | Issuance, estimated | 4.3K | $5.3M | 0.02% | |
| Total, next 12 months | 627.5K | $766.5M | 2.99% | ||
Values at $1,221 per ZEC (October 16, 2026), today's price, not a forecast. Releases continue after September 2027. Estimated amounts are modeled from the schedule's rules rather than dated by a source; see the Assumptions below. Releases without dates are listed under Allocations.
Assumptions
ZEC enters supply through mining block subsidies, divided among miners and, in documented eras, the Founders’ Reward and development and community funds. The chart covers the slow start and the published block-height streams through the third halving, plus a conditional projection of the next mining era; monthly placement between observed heights and future dates are estimates. The 78,750 ZEC NU6.1 lockbox disbursement unlocked coins already issued, while future lockbox withdrawals and grant-payment dates remain open. Mining continues beyond the quantified chart rules, and the historical planned division of the Founders’ Reward must not be counted again as new supply.
- PoW Miner Block Rewards: Timing not yet established.
- Future Spendability of Post-NU6.1 Lockbox Accrual: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- Coinholder-Controlled Fund Grant Spending: Releases depend on future governance or treasury decisions.
- Original Founders’ Reward Plan: Investors: The sources give the amount but no release dates.
- Original Founders’ Reward Plan: Founders, Employees and Advisors: The sources give the amount but no release dates.
- Original Founders’ Reward Plan: Founders, Employees and Advisors: The original schedule was changed and the new timing is not yet published.
- Original Founders’ Reward Plan: Zcash Company Strategic Reserve: The sources give the amount but no release dates.
- Original Founders’ Reward Plan: Zcash Company Strategic Reserve: The original schedule was changed and the new timing is not yet published.
- Original Founders’ Reward Plan: Zcash Foundation Donations: The sources give the amount but no release dates.
- Original Founders’ Reward Plan: Zcash Foundation Donations: The original schedule was changed and the new timing is not yet published.
- 1. https://zips.z.cash/protocol/protocol.pdf
- 2. https://zips.z.cash/zip-0214
- 3. https://zips.z.cash/zip-0271
- 4. https://zips.z.cash/zip-1016
- 5. https://zips.z.cash/zip-1015
- 6. https://z.cash/upgrade/blossom/
- 7. https://z.cash/upgrade/canopy/
- 8. https://z.cash/upgrade/nu6/
- 9. https://z.cash/upgrade/nu6-1/
- 10. https://zfnd.org/zcash-foundation-guidance-on-dev-fund-proposals/
- 11. https://openzcash.org/funding-history
- 12. https://openzcash.org/api/funding/history
- 13. https://github.com/zcash/zcash/blob/master/src/chainparams.cpp
- 14. https://github.com/zodl-inc/zcash-blog/blob/master/_posts/2016-09-23-continued-funding-and-transparency.md
- 15. https://zfnd.org/the-state-of-the-zcash-foundation-in-2019/
- 16. https://zips.z.cash/zip-0259
- 17. https://z.cash/upgrade/nu7/
- 18. https://zcashcommunitygrants.org/
- 19. https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/zechub-an-education-hub-for-zcash-2024-continued/47947
Tokenomics Overview
Market Data
Tile coloring: Green indicates positive changes, red indicates negative changes, and neutral indicates no significant trend or unavailable data.
Perpetuals: 5 markets on Binance, OKX, Hyperliquid and Lighter · $1.24B open interest
 Binance (CEX) | 316M | 2.3M/2.7M |
 Coinbase (CEX) | 190M | 2.8M/3.2M |
 OKX (CEX) | 92M | 679K/646K |
 Bitget (CEX) | 85M | 1.6M/581K |
Binance (CEX) | 82M | 419K/615K |
 KuCoin (CEX) | 72M | 535K/800K |
 Kraken (CEX) | 45M | 2.3M/2.7M |
 Gate.io (CEX) | 26M | 1.3M/1.6M |
Kraken (CEX) | 5.8M | 750K/977K |
OKX (CEX) | 4.7M | 449K/553K |
Binance (CEX) | 4.4M | 264K/205K |
 HTX (CEX) | 2.7M | 64K/228K |
KuCoin (CEX) | 666K | 122K/110K |
OKX (CEX) | 473K | 296K/299K |
Binance (CEX) | 302K | 42K/48K |
Binance (CEX) | 274K | 95K/13K |
Binance (CEX) | 225K | 133K/159K |
Allocations
Dates past the last dated anchor are projected at 75.37 seconds per block, the observed mean between the last two dated anchors, instead of the 75-second target block interval
Dates past the last dated anchor are projected at the 75-second target block interval
Dates past the last dated anchor are projected at the 75-second target block interval
Dates past the last dated anchor are projected at the 75-second target block interval
Description
#10
Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that uses trustless zero-knowledge proofs to enable fully encrypted transactions while maintaining blockchain transparency and security.
| Sector: | Payments |
| Blockchain: | Other L1 |
Tokenomics Overview
Market Data
Tile coloring: Green indicates positive changes, red indicates negative changes, and neutral indicates no significant trend or unavailable data.
Perpetuals: 5 markets on Binance, OKX, Hyperliquid and Lighter · $1.24B open interest
Binance (CEX) | 316M | 2.3M/2.7M |
Coinbase (CEX) | 190M | 2.8M/3.2M |
OKX (CEX) | 92M | 679K/646K |
Bitget (CEX) | 85M | 1.6M/581K |
Binance (CEX) | 82M | 419K/615K |
KuCoin (CEX) | 72M | 535K/800K |
Kraken (CEX) | 45M | 2.3M/2.7M |
Gate.io (CEX) | 26M | 1.3M/1.6M |
Kraken (CEX) | 5.8M | 750K/977K |
OKX (CEX) | 4.7M | 449K/553K |
Binance (CEX) | 4.4M | 264K/205K |
HTX (CEX) | 2.7M | 64K/228K |
KuCoin (CEX) | 666K | 122K/110K |
OKX (CEX) | 473K | 296K/299K |
Binance (CEX) | 302K | 42K/48K |
Binance (CEX) | 274K | 95K/13K |
Binance (CEX) | 225K | 133K/159K |