Zcash Privacy Payments Could Drop From Seconds to Under 200ms

Zakura says its latest cryptographic stack can make mobile proof generation more than 14 times faster, potentially removing one of the main delays users encounter when sending private ZEC.

Developers working on the privacy-focused Zcash blockchain have introduced a new collection of cryptographic tools that can cut the time wallets need to construct shielded transactions from more than three seconds to below 200 milliseconds in some situations.

The software, known as Zakura Common, was developed by the team behind Zakura, an independent Zcash node implementation launched in July as part of a broader effort to improve the network’s performance for everyday payments.

Shielded Zcash transactions conceal the sender, recipient and amount involved. Before such a transaction can be broadcast, the user’s wallet must perform extensive cryptographic calculations to demonstrate that the hidden payment complies with the network’s rules.

That wallet-side computation can create a delay before the blockchain has even begun processing the transaction.

Zakura said its new software reduces that workload by more than 14 times on mobile devices and more than five times on desktop computers. The team also reported that hashing performance has improved by more than 21 times, while transaction verification performed by nodes is now four to eight times faster.

“Shielded wallets that use Zakura Common, and full nodes like Zakura itself, all benefit,” Zcash co-founder Sean Bowe said in an X post.

The improvements can be adopted without changing the Zcash network. Wallet developers can integrate the open-source libraries into applications running on the current protocol. Zakura has incorporated the new stack into version 1.3.0 of its node software, while Vizor Wallet is among the first projects to implement it.

Targeting Multiple Zcash Bottlenecks

Zcash’s scaling challenge extends beyond the speed at which the blockchain produces blocks. When Zakura launched in July, its developers outlined a long-term goal of processing more than 50,000 private transactions per second, a throughput comparable to major card networks. The team contrasted that target with an estimated limit of roughly one transaction per second for current wallet software.

The broader scaling strategy focuses on several constraints, including transaction verification speed and the amount of blockchain data wallets need to download.

Zakura Common tackles another part of the problem by reducing the time individual devices spend constructing shielded transactions.

The team said the new libraries could also improve wallet synchronization, while full nodes should benefit from faster transaction checks and fewer orphaned blocks. Zakura said its software can already support the 25-second block intervals proposed for NU7, Zcash’s next major upgrade.

Zakura is led by Bowe, a longtime zero-knowledge cryptography researcher who has worked on Zcash’s proving system since before the network launched. He developed the project alongside Dev Ojha.

The node implementation operates independently of the software maintained by the Zcash Foundation and is being used as an early testing environment for broader scaling initiatives. Project Tachyon has also transitioned to the new cryptographic stack.

ZEC gained roughly 5% to trade near $839 after the release, although the token later moved lower on Monday amid a broader cryptocurrency market decline.

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