Zcash (ZEC) Price Faces Heavy Pressure, Eyes $300 After Core Developer Split

2026-01-08 18:06:08

Key Insights:

The entire ZCash core development team has split from the nonprofit Bootstrap after a major governance dispute.
As a result, ZEC plummeted over 15% in a single day as investors reacted to the sudden news.
Technical indicators are now showing a breakdown below major support levels with a downside target sitting near the $300 mark.

The privacy-focused crypto market is feeling a sudden chill this January. After the ups and downs from last year, Zcash has taken a fresh hit after a major internal crisis.

The core developers at the Electric Coin Company (ECC) officially resigned this week. This is important because the group has been the main force behind the protocol for years. Their departure stems from a deep disagreement with Bootstrap, the nonprofit that governs the project.

In just 24 hours, the token fell from its previous range down to an intraday low of $412 and is now eyeing further loss.

Technical Breakdown Hits the Zcash Price Hard

According to the daily charts, the outlook for the asset has shifted from neutral to bearish.

The price recently broke through a descending broadening wedge pattern. Usually, this pattern can indicate a reversal to the upside. However, the current breakdown to the bottom side has now cancelled that hope.

Technical analysts rely on indicators such as the MACD to gauge market momentum. At the moment, expanding red bars on the indicator suggest that selling pressure is increasing.

ZEC is now trading below its major moving averages | source: TradingView

The Chaikin Money Flow has also dropped to -0.37, which means that big investors are moving their cash out of the token. If the price cannot hold the support floor between $391 and $404, the next stop could be the December low of $300.

In all, the immediate support sits at $404, the main resistance sits at $512, and the cycle low target sits at $300.

The price is now trading below the 20-day and 50-day EMAs.

Why the Development Team Walked Away

The drama started when Josh Swihart, the CEO of ECC, made a public announcement.

He explained that he and his entire team could no longer work under the current board at Bootstrap. Swihart claimed that the board had moved away from the original mission of creating “unstoppable private money.”

He also described the situation as a “constructive discharge.” For context, this is a legal term meaning the working conditions became so bad that the team felt forced to leave.

The conflict also involves high-profile names in the crypto space, including Zaki Manian and Alan Fairless.

Over the past few weeks, it’s become clear that the majority of Bootstrap board members (a 501©(3) nonprofit created to support Zcash by governing the Electric Coin Company), specifically Zaki Manian, Christina Garman, Alan Fairless, and Michelle Lai (ZCAM), have moved into…

— Josh Swihart 🛡 (@jswihart) January 7, 2026

Swihart argued that their governance actions were malicious and hindered the team’s ability to work with integrity.

Despite the split, the former ECC staff is not giving up on the vision. They plan to form a new company and continue building privacy tech outside of the Bootstrap structure.

Market Sentiment and the Path Forward

Zcash is also suffering from a lack of interest in the derivatives market. Data from CoinGlass shows that open interest has fallen below $1 billion.

This decline is from the $1.33 billion recorded a few weeks ago. When open interest falls, it indicates that fewer traders are betting on the coin. The long/short ratio has also dipped to 0.85, indicating that more people are now betting on the price to go lower.

Open Interest (OI) on ZEC has declined alongside price | Source: Coinalyze

Amid all this, it’s worth noting that Zcash is open-source and decentralized, so the blockchain keeps running even after the developers’ departure.

Still, the risk of “stagnation” is very real. Without a dedicated team to perform audits and upgrades, the protocol could fall behind other privacy projects.

In all, ZEC is likely to remain volatile as the community awaits further details. Some of the lost confidence might return if the new company can prove it has the funding to keep building.

The focus at the moment remains on whether the current support levels can hold back a deeper slide toward the $300 mark.

ZEC5.84%

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