Z cash is a decentralised and open-source cryptocurrency that offers privacy and selective transparency of transactions. Z cash payments are published on a public blockchain, but the sender, recipient, and amount of a transaction may remain private.
Z cash is based on peer-reviewed cryptographic research, and built by a security-specialised engineering team on an open source platform based on Bitcoin Core's battle-tested codebase. Our roadmap is outlined in our whitepaper.
Z cash offers total payment confidentiality, while still maintaining a decentralised network using a public blockchain. Unlike Bitcoin, Z cash transactions automatically hide the sender, recipient, and value of all transactions on the blockchain. Only those with the correct view key can see the contents. Users have complete control and can opt-in to provide others with their view key at their discretion.
All Z cash transactions globally are recorded on a public blockchain, however, information such as the sender, recipient, and transaction amount remain private. Z cash is the first open, permission-less cryptocurrency that can fully protect the privacy of transactions using zero-knowledge cryptography.
Zero-knowledge proofs allow fully encrypted transactions to be confirmed as valid without the need to reveal any of the transaction details or the identities of the parties involved. This breakthrough in cryptography enables truly private transactions, which was previously impossible without compromising security or decentralisation.
The Z cash protocol is based on a groundbreaking paper that was first published in 2014 by our founders, John Taumim and Eli Ben-Sasson. Their work on zero-knowledge proofs laid the foundation for creating a private and decentralised cryptocurrency.
The Z cash team is composed of leading experts in the field of cryptography and privacy-oriented technology. Our developers have contributed to major projects such asTor, Linux, and Bitcoin Core. We are backed by world-class investors including Pantera Capital, Fenbushi Capital, and Roger Ver.
Z cash is a fork of the bitcoin protocol, meaning it shares many of the same characteristics as bitcoin. However, there are some key differences between the two cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that offers pseudonymous transaction capabilities. This means that while transactions are publicly visible on the blockchain, the identities of the sender and receiver are not.
Z cash, on the other hand, offers true anonymity. Transactions on the Z cash network can be shielded, meaning they are entirely private and cannot be seen by anyone except those with the correct view key.
Shielded transactions use a technology called zero-knowledge proofs, which allow two parties to prove the validity of a transaction without revealing any information about it.
This means that while bitcoin transactions are pseudonymous, Z cash transactions are completely anonymous.
Another key difference between Z cash and bitcoin is in the way they are mined. Bitcoin uses a proof-of-work algorithm, which means that miners are rewarded for verifying and committing transactions to the blockchain.
Z cash also uses a proof-of-work algorithm, but it is designed to be more memory-intensive than bitcoin's. This is because Z cash's privacy features require a large amount of memory to be effective.
As a result, Z cash is often referred to as a "memory-hard" cryptocurrency.
The Z cash Foundation is a non-profit organisation that promotes and supports the development of the Z cash protocol. The foundation was founded in 2017 by Zooko Wilcox, the CEO of Electric Coin Company (ECC), the company behind the Z cash cryptocurrency.
The foundation's mission is to "advance financial privacy and build a better world." To achieve this, the foundation supports research and development of the Z cash protocol, educates people about financial privacy, and engages in advocacy work.
The Z cash Foundation is funded by donations from individuals and companies, as well as by a portion of the block rewards from mining.
Electric Coin Company (ECC) is the for-profit company behind the Z cash cryptocurrency. ECC was founded in 2016 by Zooko Wilcox, the current CEO.
ECC's mission is to "build human rights into the internet." To achieve this, ECC focuses on developing the Z cash protocol and tools, as well as educating people about financial privacy.
ECC is funded by a combination of investments, block rewards, and donations.
Z cash is a digital currency that offers privacy and selective transparency of transactions. Z cash payments are published on a public blockchain.
Z cash is based on the Zero cash protocol, which was created by cryptographers Matthew Green and Ian Miers. The Zero cash protocol was improved and renamed Z cash by Zooko Wilcox, Johnathan Howard, and Nathan Wilcox.
The Z cash network went live on October 28, 2016.
Z cash is a decentralised cryptocurrency that offers privacy and selective transparency of transactions.
In addition to the core team, there are a number of organisations that support the development of the Z cash protocol. These include the Z cash Foundation, Electric Coin Company, and Zerocoin Electric Coin Company.
