Zcash (ZEC) cofounder Eli Ben-Sasson has reaffirmed his bullish outlook for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency, suggesting that a price target of $2,000 in 2026 is achievable while maintaining an even more ambitious long-term prediction of $5,000.
In a recent post on X, Ben-Sasson described the $2,000 milestone as a "no-brainer," expressing confidence in Zcash's growth potential despite the ongoing cryptocurrency market downturn.
His comments accompanied a screenshot from OffMarket, a privacy-focused service developed by StarkWare that enables users to participate in Polymarket prediction markets without publicly revealing their trading positions.
The screenshot highlighted a prediction market assessing whether ZEC could reach $2,000 before the end of 2026. Ben-Sasson explained that although he had previously forecast a $5,000 valuation, he considered $2,000 a more attainable target.
However, Zcash faces significant challenges as selling pressure continues across the broader crypto market.
ZEC previously surged to $1,696 on September 26 following a sustained rally. Since then, the cryptocurrency has experienced a sharp correction, falling 10.23% over 24 hours to approximately $1,098.
At that price, Zcash would need to gain more than 82% to reach Ben-Sasson's $2,000 target.
The decline coincided with heightened market uncertainty following stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data, which increased speculation that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates during its October meeting.
Technical indicators also suggest weakening momentum. ZEC recently dropped below its 50-day moving average, a key support level that helped sustain its August rally.
Recovering this level could encourage buyers to target the $1,300–$1,400 resistance zone before potentially challenging $1,700 and eventually $2,000.
Meanwhile, blockchain analytics platform Santiment reported that Zcash gained approximately 48% between September 15 and September 26 before surrendering nearly all those gains by October 14.
Market participation has also weakened. ZEC open interest, which previously peaked at 1.60 million tokens, declined alongside social engagement. Social mentions dropped to just 50 on October 14, their lowest level since September 2.
Investors are now watching Zcash's upcoming NU7 network upgrade, with a mainnet decision scheduled for October 20.
While Ben-Sasson's optimistic ZEC price prediction has attracted attention, achieving $2,000 will likely depend on renewed buying momentum, improving market sentiment, and stronger investor participation.
