Zcash surges 12% to $1,300 ahead of Fed rate decision

Zcash is having a moment. ZEC climbed above $1,300 on September 16, 2026, gaining roughly 10-12% in a single hour and 25% over the prior 24-hour window, even as broader crypto markets softened ahead of an anticipated Federal Reserve interest rate decision. For context, prices consistently above $1,200 had not been seen since late 2016. What lit the fuse Three separate catalysts arrived in quick succession, and together they created a fairly combustible setup. First came Grayscale’s spot Zcash ETF, ticker ZCSH, which launched on August 25, 2026. Within weeks it had pulled in over $463 million in assets, a debut that positioned it as one of the more consequential crypto ETF launches in recent memory. Second, ZEC’s governance community voted on Network Upgrade 7, or NU7. The proposal would cut block generation time from 75 seconds down to 25 seconds while keeping the existing halving schedule intact. The vote wasn’t close: roughly 2.4 million ZEC voted, and 99.9% came in on the yes side. Third, the derivatives market caught fire. Over $45 million in short positions were liquidated in a single session during the rally, a cascade that accelerated price moves upward as traders who had be...