April 2, 2025 — Starting today, Brave users can conduct shielded Zcash transactions in the browser-native Brave Wallet with the updated desktop release (v1.77). This integration is part of the ongoing partnership with Zcash/ECC and Filecoin Foundation announced at Mainnet 2023, which now allows the privacy-preserving Zcash native currency (ZEC) to be bought, sent, and received directly within Brave Wallet.
Shielded transactions use zero-knowledge proofs to hide the sender, receiver, and amount of a transaction from the public blockchain. Adding shielded transactions with Zcash to Brave Wallet gives users a way to send and store crypto privately. The integration introduces Brave Wallet users to a privacy-preserving technology that they can access alongside existing supported networks like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
Android and iOS availability are coming in the next several months.
The Brave browser drastically improves privacy and security for anything people do online. With features like its core Shields ad-and-tracker blocker, a built-in VPN, and no-login AI chat agent Leo, the Brave browser can help everyone stay safer while they browse. Brave Search—available in Brave and any other browser—offers fast, accurate search results served from an independent index of the Web, all without profiling its users. The integrated Brave Wallet extends this focus to Web3 or the Internet of Value as a secure, multi-chain crypto wallet built natively in the browser.
Well known cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are public in nature, and there’s a cap on how private users can be with the recording of transactions in public ledgers. Zcash aims to solve this problem.
Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that forked and adapted an early version of the Bitcoin codebase. It offers both transparent transactions and shielded transactions, which use zero-knowledge proofs to ensure privacy. Transactions in Zcash can be controlled by either a transparent address (t-addr) or a shielded address (z-addr), allowing users to choose between public and private transactions.
By bringing Zcash and Brave Wallet together, Brave can now help users stay secure and anonymous while they browse, while they search and—now—when they transact.
“We’re excited to launch the integration of Zcash’s shielded transactions in our Brave Wallet, giving our users the ability to conduct privacy-preserving transactions directly from the browser,” said James Mudgett, VP of Web3 at Brave. “Brave’s privacy-by-default approach puts users in charge of their data, and enabling our users to buy, send, and store crypto privately with shielded Zcash is a natural extension of our privacy offering.”
“Financial privacy is fundamental to human freedom. With Brave’s commitment to privacy-first Web browsing and Zcash’s best-in-class shielded transactions, this integration marks a major step forward for user sovereignty,” said Josh Swihart, CEO of ECC. “By bringing Zcash (ZEC) into Brave Wallet, we are making it easier for people to access and use digital cash without compromising their privacy—an important win for financial autonomy and, ultimately, for humanity as a whole.”
To get started with shielded Zcash transactions, Brave Wallet users can simply click 
in the Brave browser, and follow the steps below:
Zcash is the first cryptocurrency to develop zero-knowledge encryption for private peer-to-peer payments. It’s available in trusted digital wallets and listed on high-quality exchanges around the world, making it the best option for private everyday payments and long-term savings.
Electric Coin Co. launched Zcash in 2016 and continues to support the protocol and user experience, alongside other developers and teams. Zcash is a cryptocurrency built to empower economic freedom. It is similar to Bitcoin in its design, but it uses a privacy technology that encrypts transaction information and allows users to shield their assets. The vision for Zcash is that it will provide equal access to economic systems and give everyone the ability to participate in economic activity. Learn more at electriccoin.co.
Brave Wallet is the secure, multi-chain crypto wallet built directly into the Brave privacy browser—no extensions required. With Brave Wallet, users can manage tokens and NFTs; connect to DApps and onramp to Web3; and explore decentralized finance, social media, gaming, and more. Brave Wallet users can connect other “hot” wallets, or “cold” wallets like Ledger & Trezor. They can buy, store, send, and connect to DApps on Solana, Ethereum and EVM chains, and the Filecoin chain.
While the Zcash integration is currently desktop only, Brave Wallet itself is available on desktop, Android, and iOS, and is free to use. To get started on desktop, Brave browser users can click near the address bar. On mobile, users can tap “⋮” (Android) or “…” (iOS), then tap .
Brave is a driving force leading the way for Web3 adoption, directly supporting Web3 into the broader Web through its privacy browser, independent search engine, and browser-native, multi-chain crypto wallet. Brave currently has over 80 million monthly active users. Learn more at brave.com.
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