Zcash Jumps 45% Weekly, Overtakes Monero as Top Privacy Coin
Zcash Climbs to Highest Level Since 2016
Investor Takeaway
Privacy Tokens Regain Spotlight
allow users to obscure sender, receiver, and transaction details, in contrast with BTC’s traceable blockchain. The tokens appeal to investors viewking anonymity and data protection but have faced scrutiny from regulators concerned about illicit finance.
In urban trading circles, privacy assets are increasingly viewed as hedges against surveillance and centralized tracking. Despite delistings on some platforms in past years, both Zcash and Monero maintain and loyal user bases. Their resurgence comes as regulatory clarity improves in major jurisdictions such as the U.S. and Europe, where platforms are reassessing how to relist privacy assets under updated compliance rules.
Arthur Hayes Sparks Bullish Momentum
Part of Zcash’s rally followed comments by Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, who said this week that the token could climb to $10,000. ZEC jumped from $272 to $355 within hours of his prediction, with . Hayes, known for bold calls on digital assets, described Zcash as “one of the few assets that still preserves financial privacy onchain.”
Market data shows that investor interest has spiked sharply since his post. The number of ZEC tokenholders rose 63% over the past week to 1,968, according to analytics platform Nansen. However, large holders—so-called whales—sold about $702,000 worth of ZEC during the identical period, suggesting retail demand rather than accumulation by major funds is driving the rally.
Investor Takeaway
Market Reaction and Analyst Views
Traders described the ZEC move as one of the strongest performances among major tokens this year. “Crazy to view how $ZEC has pulled a 10x in just two months, completely decoupling from the market and ignoring overall sentiment,” wrote Simon Dedic, founder of Moonrock Capital, in an X post on Friday. “This isn’t some meme token—it’s a multibillion-dollar asset. That makes this kind of performance even more remarkable.”
The price action highlights both renewed interest in privacy and the scarcity of listed alternatives. With Monero’s dominance fading and smaller privacy projects struggling to retain liquidity, Zcash’s regulated platform listings and recognizable brand have assisted it regain market leadership. At current prices, ZEC has added more than $2.3 billion in market value since mid-July.
Still, privacy tokens remain under pressure in some jurisdictions. South Korea and Japan continue to restrict trading, while U.S. platforms face ongoing compliance reviews. For investors, that regulatory overhang means volatility could remain elevated even as volumes expand.
Outlook for Privacy Assets
Despite those challenges, privacy coins are emerging as one of the few crypto categories outperforming the market in 2025. The renewed demand follows rising concerns about financial surveillance, , and user data sharing across payment networks. Zcash’s performance suggests that investors are rotating back into assets offering privacy as a feature rather than a compromise.
Whether Zcash can sustain its rally depends on whether it attracts institutional support and deeper liquidity on U.S. platforms. For now, its climb past Monero has revived one of the oldest debates in crypto—whether privacy remains a niche demand or a mainstream necessity in an increasingly transparent financial system.
