Ex-Zcash Devs Break Away, Launch CASHZ Privacy Wallet After ECC Split

Privacy just got a new contender. Former Zcash developers have cut ties with the Electric Coin Company (ECC) and launched CASHZ—a fresh wallet built for anonymity-first transactions.

The Great Crypto Unbundling

This isn't just another app launch. It's a direct challenge to the established privacy coin hierarchy. The team bypassed the traditional governance roadblocks, opting to build a standalone solution that puts user sovereignty front and center. Think of it as a hard fork in philosophy, not just code.

Why This Wallet Cuts Through the Noise

Forget clunky interfaces and compliance overreach. CASHZ promises a streamlined experience where privacy isn't a premium add-on—it's the default setting. The move signals a growing rift in the crypto privacy space, where developer ideals and corporate roadmaps don't always align. It's a bet that users will vote with their wallets for pure, uncompromising functionality.

The Bottom Line for Your Portfolio

Another day, another coin. While the tech merits attention, remember that in crypto, developer drama often fuels more speculative frenzy than actual user adoption—a classic case of narrative outpacing utility. Watch if CASHZ can attract real volume, or if it becomes another footnote in the endless saga of blockchain forks and rebrands.

What Happened? 

On January 8, the entire CORE team at ECC decided to leave after a governance dispute with the nonprofit that oversees the project. The developers said their working conditions and decision-making freedom were changed so much that they could no longer continue their work properly.

This was not a technical failure. The network kept running as usual. But losing the original builders raised big questions. Who will guide development now? Who will maintain the roadmap? Those doubts quickly spread across the market.

CASHZ: What the Former Zcash Developers Are Building

Soon after the exit, the story took a new turn. ECC developers launch CASHZ, a new privacy wallet developed by the previous ECC team members. This showed that they were committed to privacy tech and Zcash, but not towards the previous structure.

The CASHZ wallet launch is to compete with another wallet that was already available to users, which was the Zashi wallet. The groups behind this new project indicate that CASHZ will prioritize design simplicity, privacy functionality, and usability.

Additionally, they mentioned that users WOULD be able towhich would ease transitioning for existing users of the Zcash wallet.

Josh Swihart Explains the Decision

The new wallet is led by Josh Swihart, the former ECC CEO. He made it clear that the team is still “all in” on the platform. According to him, the goal is to scale the platform to billions of users.

Source: X (formerly Twitter) 

Swihart believes that startups MOVE faster than nonprofits. That is why the team chose to create a Zcash startup instead of continuing under the nonprofit model. The focus, he says, is speed, execution, and real-world adoption.

Zcash Price Today: Has ZEC Recovered?

According to CoinMarketCap, ZEC is down by 3.89% in the last 24 hours, after falling sharply from above $500 to almost $400 during the governance crisis, now trading NEAR $442. This shows panic selling has slowed, but the price is still far from recent highs, so confidence is only partly back. 

Source: CoinMarketCap

Price is holding near $443–$446 with a bullish structure. RSI 14 at 55.9 shows healthy upside momentum, while MACD histogram +3.95 confirms bullish strength. 

Momentum remains positive but not overbought, suggesting scope for further upside unless price falls below $430.

ZEC Price Prediction

• Bullish Case: If it holds above $430–$440, it may try to move toward $470–$480. 

• Bearish Case: If support fails, the price could slip back to $400–$410. For now, sideways movement between $420 and $470 looks most likely.

What Does This Means for Zcash Going Forward? 

This is more than a wallet launch story. It illustrates the importance of governance and leadership in the world of cryptocurrency. Code can live on, but trust requires time to rebuild.

With the launch of CASHZ, the Zcash community is moving through a transition. There is still innovation but with a different framework. Whether it is good for the growth or creates different camps will be told by time.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute any financial advice, kindly do your own research before investing.