The Crosslink proposal for Zcash (ZEC) has a productionization phase running through Q2 2027, advancing a design that would add staking-based finality without ending mining.
The proposal would keep proof-of-work mining in place and create a separate proof-of-stake role for finality. It therefore combines the two mechanisms rather than replacing mining with staking.
Feature-net testing has a 500 ZEC allocation, with 25 ZEC reserved for the first season. Proposed test incentives would direct 40% to miners and another 40% to stakers, with a development fund receiving the remaining 20%. Those percentages apply to testing only, not to confirmed rewards for mainnet.
Zcash developer Josh Swihart criticized Crosslink and Zcash Shielded Assets in a statement dated Nov. 23, 2025. “There is no need to add complexity,” he said.
Crosslink would need approval from Zcash governance and strong community consensus before entering the mainnet protocol.
