ZKAS fork drama splits Kaspa miners?

Hey, welcome to Kaspa Daily Pulse, here's what the Kaspa community's been buzzing about today.

First up, price frustration dominated the conversation. Kaspa was repeatedly described as underperforming while other assets moved higher, with holders complaining that every pump gets sold and that the dip keeps dipping. One buyer said they entered at 15 cents and are still waiting to recover. Targets ranged from a return to 15 cents all the way to wildly optimistic multi-dollar calls, but the real mood was clear: patience is wearing thin. Several people argued that Kaspa may remain stuck until retail returns and Bitcoin dominance falls.

The counterargument was that price alone does not reflect the work happening across the ecosystem. Community members pointed to KRC-20, Igra, ZKAS, and the Kaspa Industrial Initiative as examples of ongoing development. That optimism was met with skepticism, especially around timelines and whether these projects can create meaningful demand. The phrase “ghost chain” even appeared as a warning about what Kaspa could become without useful applications.

ZKAS was probably today’s biggest technical controversy. It was described as a Kaspa fork using Zcash technology with mandatory privacy, and its market cap was discussed at roughly 1 to 2 million dollars. Some miners said they can mine ZKAS alongside Kaspa at no additional mining cost, while others dismissed it as “just another Kaspa fork” or worried that miners are effectively financing it. One participant said the project looked “self-cooked,” while another considered privacy a valid reason for a fork but felt buying it was too speculative.

That led directly into a broader privacy debate. The strongest consensus was that optional privacy, possibly enabled by default, would be better for Kaspa than mandatory privacy. Supporters said enforced privacy could discourage institutions and governments, while optional tools could offer users flexibility without isolating the network.

Finally, there was another timeline discussion around TN13 and DagKnight. One estimate jokingly landed on 2029, based on previous development delays and a referenced target of the third quarter of 2026. No confirmed launch date emerged, so treat the timeline chatter as community speculation, not an announcement.

That's it for today's pulse. Let's see what tomorrow brings. Catch you then.