The Zakura team is targeting January 2027 to add quantum-resistant signature support to Zcash’s transparent payments. Developer Roman Akhtariev outlined the plan in an engineering post, without naming a mainnet activation date. January remains a development target.
The planned signature opcodes would let the network verify hash-based signatures, offering an alternative to elliptic-curve authorization. Standard transparent addresses initially conceal public keys behind hashes, but spending reveals those keys. Rotating to fresh addresses limits exposure while the hashes remain secure.
The update follows Justin Drake’s bunker-mode warning, previously covered by CoinScreamer. In his original post, the Ethereum researcher urged calm preparation for possible AI-assisted mathematical breakthroughs against wallet keys. He described a worst-case scenario, without demonstrating a working attack.
Zakura also described private information retrieval, which lets wallets check balances without telling a server which addresses they monitor. An experimental implementation can be tested through Vizor’s Private queries setting. This protects wallet lookups; transparent transactions still remain publicly visible on-chain.
Shielded payments require separate safeguards. Zcash’s recovery design stresses that its proposed changes do not themselves make the protocol quantum-secure. The January work is also distinct from the NU7 testnet rollout CoinScreamer covered earlier this week, which introduced shorter target block times.
Disclaimer: CoinScreamer is an independent media brand owned and operated by NuvexMedia LLC, publishing news, research, and market insights on digital assets and related technologies. NuvexMedia LLC invests in and collaborates with companies across the digital asset, blockchain, and technology sectors. These relationships do not influence CoinScreamer’s editorial coverage, and the publication maintains full editorial independence to provide accurate, timely, and objective information. © 2025 NuvexMedia LLC. All rights reserved. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, tax, investment, financial, or other professional advice.
