On October 9, 2025, ShapeShift deepened its commitment to crypto’s core principles by integrating Zcash’s shielded transactions, offering users a powerful new tool for private, cross-chain trading without sacrificing self-custody.
This strategic move allows the community-led platform to offer true on-chain privacy, enabling users to swap ZEC across major blockchains like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Arbitrum directly from their self-custodial wallets. The integration was accelerated by a $50,000 grant from the Zcash Community Grants team, which supported both technical development and infrastructure upgrades. By adopting Liquify’s node network, ShapeShift has enhanced its execution speed and reliability, paving the way for a more seamless and mobile-optimized swapping experience that rivals platforms like Uniswap.
A Philosophical Stand for Digital Privacy
For ShapeShift, this integration is more than a simple feature addition; it’s a philosophical stance on the future of digital assets. As Houston Morgan, Head of Growth and Community at ShapeShift, stated, “Privacy shouldn’t be scary, but trading ZEC on centralized exchanges often is. Their very structure and legal risk kill true privacy. This partnership puts control back in the user’s hands”.
This sentiment was echoed by Chris McCarthy of the ShapeShift DAO, who framed the decision as a return to crypto’s original ethos, noting that the partnership “proves that decentralised systems can defend both freedom and function. It’s the next evolution of what crypto was always meant to be”.
Navigating the Regulatory Horizon
This reinforcement of privacy comes at a critical time, as the European Union has plans to ban privacy coins and anonymous crypto accounts by 2027. Against this backdrop of increasing regulatory scrutiny, ShapeShift’s integration makes a strong case for the role of cryptographic privacy in a healthy digital economy, arguing that transparency through code can coexist with user sovereignty.
By offering a decentralized path to acquire and use shielded ZEC, ShapeShift provides institutional treasuries and individual users a direct tool to manage their transactional privacy. This partnership not only expands access to “unstoppable private money” but also sets a new standard for privacy in decentralized trading, challenging the industry to uphold digital freedom as a foundational right.
