Electric Coin Company (ECC) has announced the next suite of upgrades to privacy coin Zcash – Halo Arc.

Halo Arc includes updates to Zcashd (Zcash’s consensus node), an ECC wallet prototype, and the ECC wallet software development kits (SDKs). The wallet will enable shielded-by-default transactions, something that is merely optional for Zcash right now.

Previously planned for release this summer, Halo Arc will now launch on Oct. 1, 2021, in coordination with the activation of Zcash’s Network Upgrade 5 (NU5). NU5 will be the first mainnet activation of the Halo proving system, furthering the development of zero-knowledge-proof cryptography.

The October protocol upgrade will also introduce unified addresses, a feature that creates a single Zcash address that is compatible across all Zcash value pools, including shielded and transparent ones, so that users no longer have to juggle multiple address types. At present, protocol upgrades at times required new address formats.