Prediction: Zcash (ZEC) Will Be Worth This Much in 5 Years

I predict Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC) will be worth about $10,000 per coin by 2031. It's currently priced just over $1,200.

Is that estimate absurd? Maybe, but the coin climbed from $45 in September 2025 to nearly $700 by that November, and has increased more than 70% since then. The drivers that'll power the next leg of growth are just barely getting started. Here's what needs to happen for my prediction to come true.

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Scarcity plus privacy is a powerful combo

Zcash initially caught my interest because it uses a variation of the same scarcity recipe that Bitcoin has used to tremendous effect over the years.

Zcash's supply is limited to a maximum of 21 million coins, and its block rewards, which are the new coins paid out to the network's miners (much like Bitcoin's mining payouts), get cut in half every four years. The next halving is expected in November 2028.

According to the crypto tech service provider Bitcoin Suisse, Bitcoin's price peaked around 12 to 18 months after each of its halvings from 2012 through 2020. If this holds true for Zcash as well, its next big run could occur in 2029 or 2030; after its late 2020 and late 2024 halvings, its price experienced sharp increases over the following six to 12 months.

There will be approximately 19.3 million coins in circulation by late 2031, so a price of $10,000 per coin would mean a market cap of about $193 billion. That would require a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50% for five years in a row. While that is very fast growth, consider that over the last five years, Zcash's CAGR was even higher at 63%.

What has to go right?

First, Zcash's supply policies need to remain largely unchanged over the coming years, while its privacy features continue to attract capital.

According to ZecStats, about 4.9 million coins, or 29% of the circulating supply, were in the network's shielded (private) pools that conceal transaction details on Oct. 7, 2026. If the shielded supply continues to grow, it'll be a good sign, as it means the chain's privacy technology is in active use.

Zcash also needs to build the tech infrastructure to create a truly private on-chain economy, with mechanisms for storing all types of cryptocurrencies, especially stablecoins and tokenized assets, on its chain, as Ethereum or Solana do. It doesn't currently have such mechanisms.

There's currently a proposal under consideration, ZIP 226, that would create the technical building blocks needed for that ecosystem to exist if implemented. If the proposal is accepted, implemention would be scheduled for the next network update after the one that's coming on Nov. 5.

Assuming that proposal passes and is rolled out successfully, it'll create a virtuous cycle, wherein as more capital seeks privacy in the chain's private pools, it'll become necessary to offer a larger set of assets and financial capabilities. If that happens, it'll stoke even more demand for the coin.

I own Zcash now, and I plan to keep buying it in small, regular amounts over the coming years. Even if I miss the mark, I expect its price to be much higher in the future, as privacy remains relevant to investors.

Alex Carchidi has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Zcash. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.