Dash has just announced the integration of shielded transactions into its Evolution chain, using Orchard technology developed by Zcash. The initiative aims to guarantee transaction confidentiality with high security standards and fast confirmations. The final implementation would be in the middle of next March.
This development comes amid a boom in privacy-related cryptocurrencies. The massive influx of financial and governmental entities into the crypto space has driven the demand for technologies that allow users to maintain anonymity and privacy in their on-chain transactions.
Evolution: A Parallel Network with New Privacy Challenges
The launch of Evolution, a parallel network geared towards data applications, is not recent, having been introduced in 2024. This infrastructure enables features such as encrypted usernames, contact lists, and metadata, as well as facilitating the development of Web3 applications, from decentralized social networks to broader digital services.
Unlike the main Core chain—similar to Bitcoin and integrated with CoinJoin—Evolution operates differently. Existing privacy features do not apply to this network, meaning that credit transfers are completely transparent. According to the project, this level of visibility may be insufficient for some users if Evolution is adopted on a large scale.
To address this issue, Dash developers began integrating a protected credit pool based on Zcash’s Orchard technology. This system relies on zero-knowledge cryptographic proofs developed over years by the Zcash team, whose architecture is compatible with the Dash network.
Dash already has native token functionality with multiple configurations and use cases. The new layer will add confidentiality to token transfers through separate protected pools, an approach conceptually similar to Zcash’s Shielded Assets, but adapted to Dash’s architecture and expanded functionality.
The Rise of Privacy Coins
Privacy coins experienced strong moves through late 2025 and early 2026. The sector’s market capitalization jumped by nearly 80% by early November 2025; Dash reached a peak of $85.5 in January, although in just over 30 days its value has plummeted by almost 60%. Those moves reflect renewed demand for privacy primitives and have re‑focused liquidity and flows into privacy-focused tokens.
For market participants, the near-term milestone is the March 2026 rollout of basic shielded transfers. Broader privacy for tokenized assets will arrive in subsequent upgrades.
