TLDR
- THORChain launched its Zcash (ZEC) liquidity pool on Oct. 2 after completing a network-wide node churn.
- All THORChain nodes are now monitoring the Zcash chain, with native trading set as the next step.
- The protocol warned that liquidity is shallow early on and urged traders to use caution.
- Zcash support followed months of code upgrades, including UTXO handling, RPC logic and a ZEC price oracle.
- The launch comes as THORChain faces scrutiny over Bitget hack-linked funds that moved through its network.
THORChain has launched its Zcash liquidity pool. The announcement came on Oct. 2 after the network completed a full node churn.
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
Every active node on THORChain is now monitoring the Zcash chain. Trading has not started yet, but the protocol says it is the next step.
In its announcement, THORChain stated plainly that trading is coming. The pool launch and the start of user trading are two separate steps.
Liquidity Remains Thin in Early Days
THORChain cautioned users about the state of the new pool. The protocol said liquidity is shallow for now and will grow over time.
It advised traders to use caution during the early days of ZEC activity. No specific pool depth or trading start date was shared in the Oct. 2 post.
A network explorer page tracking active THORChain nodes currently lists ZEC as functioning normally. It appears alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum and other supported chains.
Months of Development Led to This Point
Zcash support did not appear overnight. THORChain’s March 4 protocol upgrade added chain-specific UTXO handling and RPC logic for ZEC.
That same upgrade placed Zcash into the protocol’s oracle system. This gave the network native price tracking for the asset.
A later GitLab fix addressed an issue with ZEC network-fee reporting. Developers said an earlier version of the code could inflate gas tolerance during certain solvency calculations.
Work continued into September. A THORNode merge request fixed signing inconsistencies caused by nodes calculating transaction expiry from different local chain tips.
The fix tied transaction expiry to an agreed ZEC height instead. This kept signing data consistent across nodes during retries and restarts.
On Sept. 17, THORChain said Zcash was next in line for mainnet. That came after a period where the project focused on network stability rather than new chain launches.
Zcash’s UTXO design required extra configuration work. THORChain needed settings for address validation, gas units, dust thresholds, block timing and coinbase parameters before the chain could go live.
The pool launch arrives alongside renewed attention on THORChain’s role in moving stolen funds. Bitget disclosed a hack beginning Sept. 24, later raising the total value moved to attacker-controlled wallets to about $387.5 million.
Bitget said the total included Zcash and Tron activity identified by investigators. The exchange listed affected assets including XRP, ETH, USDT, ZEC, USDC, XAUt, BNB, AVAX and TRX.
Reports indicate a wallet tied to the Bitget attacker completed 27 swaps through THORChain. Those swaps converted around 2,390 ETH into 75.2 BTC, worth roughly $6.3 million at the time.
Bitget had asked THORChain to block transactions from attacker-linked addresses. THORChain declined, saying its emergency systems can pause a chain or the whole protocol but cannot freeze a single address or transaction.
THORChain explained its position in an Oct. 1 blog post. The project said major protocol changes require a two-thirds consensus among node operators.
This is not the first time THORChain has faced this kind of scrutiny. During the February 2025 Bybit hack, Bybit’s CEO said 72% of roughly $900 million in converted stolen assets passed through THORChain.
Bitget’s recovery page currently lists attacker addresses across several networks, including Zcash. The exchange is offering a 5% bounty for help that leads to frozen or recovered funds.
As of now, THORChain’s Zcash pool is live, but native trading has not yet begun.
