THORChain has launched a liquidity pool for Zcash (ZEC) after completing a network-wide node churn, bringing the privacy-focused asset closer to native cross-chain trading. The protocol confirmed that all of its nodes are now monitoring the Zcash blockchain, with direct trading identified as the next stage of the integration.

The new pool creates a permissionless liquidity venue for ZEC within THORChain's cross-chain ecosystem, a network designed to let users swap native assets across blockchains without wrapped tokens or custodial intermediaries. Native ZEC trading is not yet active, however, and liquidity remains shallow in the early phase, with the protocol urging users to proceed carefully while the venue matures.

Pool Goes Live After Node Churn

In an October 2 post on X, THORChain announced that the ZEC pool is now live following the completion of a network-wide node churn. The protocol said the network churned and every node is now watching the Zcash chain, a milestone it described as a key step in the integration.

The $ZEC pool is now live on THORChain. The network churned and every node is watching the Zcash chain. @Zcash now has a truly permissionless venue. Trading is the next step. Liquidity is shallow for now and will grow over time, so trade with caution in the early days. pic.twitter.com/sVEj0K4xNQ

— THORChain (@THORChain) October 2, 2026

Churn events are a routine part of THORChain's security model, periodically rotating the node operators that secure the network's cross-chain vaults, and this churn served as the activation for Zcash monitoring across the network.

The protocol emphasized that the launch does not mean native ZEC trading is already active, as it identified trading as the next step in the rollout. Liquidity remains shallow during the initial phase, and THORChain advised users to exercise caution as depth builds and trading functionality approaches activation.

THORChain did not disclose the pool's current liquidity depth or provide a specific date for enabling native ZEC swaps. Limited liquidity can increase slippage and price impact, particularly for larger transactions, making the early days of the pool more sensitive to trade size.

Integration Follows Months of Development

The ZEC pool launch follows several months of technical work aimed at integrating Zcash into THORChain's infrastructure. The network's v3.16.0 upgrade introduced Zcash-specific UTXO handling and remote procedure call (RPC) logic. The same upgrade added ZEC to THORChain's enshrined oracle, allowing the network to incorporate native Zcash price data into its protocol operations.

Development continued through September as developers addressed transaction-signing inconsistencies involving Zcash transaction expiry. The changes established an agreed Zcash blockchain height for transaction expiry across nodes, and THORChain also adjusted its handling of transaction retries and restarts to preserve the agreed expiry information. These adjustments were designed to improve consistency when nodes process Zcash transactions.

Taken together, the latest pool activation marks another stage in a broader integration process rather than an isolated listing. Once trading becomes available, users could swap ZEC through THORChain without relying on a centralized exchange, extending the protocol's native cross-chain swapping model to the privacy-focused asset. The integration also arrives amid a wider industry backdrop in which privacy-focused assets have faced regulatory scrutiny, with a number of centralized exchanges restricting or delisting privacy coins in certain jurisdictions.

The launch also comes as questions remain around the scope of Zcash support. Zcash's privacy model includes shielded transactions, which use zero-knowledge proofs to conceal details such as sender, recipient, and amount, but THORChain has not specified whether the new pool will support shielded ZEC transactions, leaving that functionality unclear.

For now, ZEC has entered THORChain's live liquidity infrastructure, while native trading awaits activation. The protocol's stated next focus is enabling swaps and allowing liquidity to develop around the new pool, which THORChain expects to deepen over time.