Zcash (ZEC) is a privacy-focused blockchain network and cryptocurrency that allows users to engage in anonymous cryptocurrency transactions. The network was launched in 2016 as a fork of Bitcoin designed to offer enhanced security and privacy.

Zcash originally launched as Zerocoin before rebranding to Zcoin and later to Zcash. In 2019, the Zcash Company announced a corporate rebranding as the Electronic Coin Company (ECC).

The primary purpose of Zcash at launch was as a solution to several security issues identified by cryptocurrency and blockchain developers who wanted to facilitate completely anonymized crypto transactions.

Zcash leverages the Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-interactive Argument of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) security protocol to provide anonymized transactions, which encrypt sender, receiver, and transaction information. The zk-SNARK protocol is said to enable nodes to prove they are in possession of certain knowledge without revealing the information itself. #ZEC $ZEC