ShapeShift, one of the longest-running community-led multichain DEX aggregators, has announced the rollout of Zcash privacy functionality alongside native Ukrainian language support. The move is designed to help Ukrainian citizens move capital more safely and securely amid ongoing conflict and heightened digital risk.
By integrating shielded Zcash (ZEC) transactions directly into the ShapeShift self-custodial wallet, the DAO is introducing a vital privacy layer at a time when financial security is critical. The update enables users to transact without exposing sensitive on-chain data while maintaining full control of their assets.
Zcash, widely recognised for its privacy-first design, has seen renewed interest as concerns grow around blockchain surveillance and regulatory pressure. With this integration, Ukrainian users can now privately trade and swap ZEC across multiple chains — including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Arbitrum — all within ShapeShift’s self-custodial ecosystem.
This launch reflects ShapeShift’s belief that privacy is a human right, especially for those living under threat, displacement, or active geopolitical instability. During periods of conflict, digital activity can become a point of vulnerability for civilians, journalists, NGOs, and aid workers.
The integration of Zcash enables users in Ukraine to shield their financial activity, protect personal information, avoid traceability risks, and ensure that funds can be sent or received without exposure to surveillance or interference.
As regulators tighten restrictions on privacy technology, ShapeShift and Zcash are standing firm for user choice and digital autonomy, a principle made even more urgent by the war’s digital dimensions.
ShapeShift will also be rolling out zCash and launching support for a further 10 languages globally.
ShapeShift Growth and Community Workstream Leader Houston Morgan said: “Ukrainians should not have to choose between safety and access to financial tools. Privacy is protection, and this Zcash integration gives users the ability to move value without putting themselves at risk. ShapeShift’s decentralised model means no accounts, no tracking, and no central party that can be pressured or shut down. This is exactly what crypto was built for.”
Professor Chris McCarthy, Tokenomics Workstream Leader at ShapeShift DAO, said: “Integrating Zcash is more than technology; it’s a commitment to human freedom. Cryptography lets privacy and transparency coexist, and decentralised systems ensure those rights can’t be taken away. For Ukrainians, and for users everywhere, this is the future that ShapeShift is defending.”
