Zcash (ZEC) is bleeding red, but a bold price prediction is keeping bulls on their toes. Despite a 14.5% drop over the past 14 days that pushed its market capitalization to $20.13 billion, the privacy-focused cryptocurrency is back in the spotlight after its co-founder called $2,000 a “no-brainer” and hinted at a longer-term target of $5,000.
Could ZEC be gearing up for a massive comeback?
Zcash Founder Fires Up Bulls With $2,000 ‘No-Brainer’ Call and $5,000 Target
Zcash co-founder Eli Ben-Sasson is refusing to back down from his ambitious price outlook, even as ZEC faces renewed selling pressure.
In an October 15 post on X, Ben-Sasson reiterated his prediction that ZEC could eventually hit $5,000 and described a move to $2,000 as a “no-brainer.” He also said he backed the $2,000 price target through OffMarket, a privacy-focused platform connected to the prediction market Polymarket.
His latest remarks build on an earlier forecast that ZEC would surpass $5,000 before the end of 2026. The crypto entrepreneur had previously predicted that Zcash would trade above $1,200 by September 25, a target the cryptocurrency successfully cleared during its September rally.
However, the road to $5,000 remains steep. ZEC has retreated sharply from its September highs, so a fresh wave of buying pressure would be needed to make Ben-Sasson’s bullish prediction come true.
Zcash Races Against the Quantum Clock
Ben-Sasson’s bullish forecast comes as fresh concerns about the future of crypto security grip the industry, potentially putting privacy-focused projects like Zcash in the spotlight. Last week, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake urged the sector to prepare for a possible “bunker mode” scenario, warning that advances in artificial intelligence could threaten existing cryptographic protections even before quantum computers become powerful enough to do so.
Zcash is ramping up efforts to shield its network from emerging security threats. Zakura, a Zcash full-node implementation that helps validate transactions and maintain the network, recently said its team is targeting January to make the software quantum-resistant and reasonably resilient to AI-driven threats. If achieved, the milestone could mark a major step in Zcash’s long-term security push.
However, January remains a target, not a confirmed deadline, and the team has not yet announced an official activation date for the network-wide upgrade.