Dash, a Layer 1 blockchain protocol with privacy-preserving features, on Thursday announced the integration of its shielded “Orchard” Zcash pool with the Dash Evolution chain, the second layer on the L1 network that supports astute contract functionality.
According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, integration will begin once cybersecurity audits are completed and is expected to begin in March.
Initially, the integration will support basic Zcash (ZEC) transfers from one party to another on the Evolution chain, and subsequent updates will add Orchard privacy features for tokenized real-world assets (RWA), the announcement said.
The price of DASH (DASH), the network’s native token, rose by more than 125% in January. Dash briefly hit a local high of around $96 on the Binance cryptocurrency exchange before returning to current levels.
Onchain privacy protocols and blockchain privacy tokens have gained significant momentum in 2025 and early 2026, with proponents of the technology characterizing them as a response to increased financial surveillance by governments and corporations.
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Lack of privacy is holding up cryptocurrency payments and the technology is under fire
“Lack of privacy may be the missing link in the adoption of crypto payments.” According to to Changpeng Zhao (CZ), co-founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange.
Companies won’t adopt blockchain technology unless privacy tools can protect payments that contain sensitive employee compensation information, CZ said.
Transaction data can also reveal information about key partnerships and other trade secrets to competitors, Avidan Abitbol, a former business development specialist at cryptocurrency project Kaspa, told Cointelegraph.
Agata Ferreira, assistant professor at the Warsaw University of Technology, argues that true financial privacy is achieved through a combination of regulations, culture and code, and not simply protecting metadata online.
User anonymity can still be compromised and ownership of privacy tokens can be determined through forensic analysis and law enforcement investigation. According to critics of this technology, such as author and Bitcoin (BTC) supporter Saifedean Ammous.
In January 2026, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the emirate’s financial regulator, banned privacy tokens including ZEC and XMR (XMR), the native token of Monero’s privacy protocol.
The ban does not prevent citizens from owning tokens, but it prohibits regulated cryptocurrency exchanges from selling tokens to recent users, highlighting the tension between state regulators and privacy technology.
Warehouse: 2026 is the year of pragmatic privacy in cryptocurrencies: Canton, Zcash and more
