Privacy Coins

Zcash

2026-10-03 00:34:14

Zcash Slides 21% From Recent Peak as ETF Outflows and Hack-Linked Transfers Weigh on Sentiment

Zcash pulled back sharply on Thursday, with ZEC trading at $1,333.50, down 7.29% on the day and about 21% below its late-September high of $1,698.00. The drop follows a powerful run in which the token had climbed roughly 253% from $480.72 before peaking. Market pressure came from several directions at once: a weaker risk backdrop after Bitcoin failed to hold gains made after softer-than-expected PCE inflation data, a $30.25 million daily net outflow from Grayscale’s Zcash ETF, and renewed scrutiny after funds tied to the Bitget hack were seen moving through Zcash’s privacy pool. According to the report, 2,746 ZEC worth about $3.9 million were flagged by on-chain investigator ZachXBT as moving from hacker-linked addresses into the shielded pool. Even so, the technical picture has not fully broken down. RSI stands at 50.2, ADX at 52.0, and the 50-day EMA remains above the 200-day EMA, leaving the broader trend structure intact for now. The report said a daily close below $1,233.00 would activate a key retracement zone, while a move back above $1,410.72 would suggest the rally has regained footing.

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Zcash

2026-10-02 08:30:56

Zcash’s 10-year arc: from cypherpunk idealism and regulatory pressure to a market comeback

Zcash’s latest rally has revived one of crypto’s oldest privacy projects, but the move sits on top of a much longer story. The article traces Zcash back to David Chaum’s DigiCash, Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn’s long-running pursuit of private digital cash, and the Zerocash paper that brought zk-SNARKs into a practical cryptocurrency design. It also revisits the project’s unusual launch ceremony in 2016, its early price distortions caused by thin supply, and the controversy around founder rewards. From there, the piece follows Zcash through years of pressure on three fronts: exchange delistings and regulatory scrutiny, weak price performance across multiple market cycles, and internal governance fights over development funding. Even as the token fell to a record low of $15.91 in July 2024, development continued through Sapling, NU5, Halo 2, Zebra, and the Zashi wallet, which improved the usability of shielded transactions. The report then turns to the reversal that began in late 2025, when public support from Naval Ravikant, buying by Arthur Hayes’ family office Maelstrom, Robinhood’s listing, the end of an SEC probe, and Grayscale’s conversion of its trust into a spot ETF pushed ZEC back into the spotlight. The broader question running through the piece is simple: how does the market price privacy when the technology finally becomes usable and demand catches up?

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Altcoins

2026-09-30 07:31:01

Altcoin Rally Shifts Toward Revenue-Generating Protocols as Privacy Coins Surge and Buybacks Gain Traction

A TechFlowPost-translated market analysis argues that the current altcoin rally looks different from prior cycles: capital is no longer chasing meme tokens indiscriminately and is moving instead toward protocols with visible utility, recurring revenue, and token buyback mechanisms. The report highlights privacy coins, meme coin launch platforms, lending markets, and decentralized exchanges as the main areas drawing attention. Zcash is presented as a leading privacy trade, with a 218% year-to-date return. The article says shielded supply rose to just above 30% of total ZEC supply, while shielded transactions accounted for 52% of Zcash transaction volume, with usage accelerating in August 2026. On the derivatives side, ZEC futures open interest, after breaking above $300 million before 2026, has climbed past $2 billion following a reversal tied to negative funding rates. The piece also draws a contrast inside the meme coin segment. While PUMP is up 134% year to date and users have gravitated toward Pump.fun on Solana and Pons on Robinhood Chain, the MSCI Datonomy meme coin sub-sector still shows a median loss of 27% for the year. Meanwhile, protocols such as Aave, Uniswap, and Hyperliquid are being watched for their ability to monetize services and direct revenue back to token holders. Aave is projected to generate about $47 million in annualized revenue from its Ethereum lending markets, and Uniswap has already burned more than $12 million worth of UNI on Ethereum, according to the report.

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Grayscale

2026-09-30 02:17:18

Grayscale says ZEC’s market cap has climbed to about 1.5% of Bitcoin’s

Grayscale’s head of research, Zach Pandl, said in a post on X that ZEC rose from about $60 to about $1,500 over the past year, while the token’s market capitalization grew from less than 0.1% of Bitcoin’s market value to roughly 1.5%. Grayscale said it does not believe ZEC has reached the upper end of its valuation yet. The firm also said demand for privacy-preserving technology is expected to keep rising. In Grayscale’s view, Zcash still has room to gain market share if it continues to offer privacy features that are stronger than those available in other cryptocurrencies. The comments frame ZEC’s recent move not only as a price rally, but also as a shift in its relative weight against Bitcoin by market capitalization.

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Grayscale

2026-09-30 02:14:14

Grayscale says Zcash still has room to gain market share as demand for privacy tech grows

Grayscale still sees upside in Zcash despite its sharp move over the past year. On Sept. 30, Grayscale research head Zach Pandl said ZEC had climbed from about $60 to about $1,500 over the previous year, yet the firm does not believe the asset has reached the upper bound of its valuation. In Grayscale’s view, the rally reflects both Zcash’s previously low starting valuation and the size of its potential addressable market. Pandl pointed to market-cap data to support that case. About a year ago, ZEC’s market capitalization was less than 0.1% of Bitcoin’s. That figure has now risen to roughly 1.5%. Grayscale argued that, while the shift is notable, it is not extreme when compared with past crypto cycles. The firm noted that XRP’s market cap is currently about 6% of Bitcoin’s, and that during the 2017-2018 cycle, XRP, BCH, LTC, and DASH each at one point reached at least 3% of Bitcoin’s market value. Grayscale expects demand for privacy-preserving technology to keep rising. It said Zcash could continue expanding its market share if it maintains privacy features that outperform those of other cryptocurrencies.

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Grayscale Res

2026-09-29 16:19:33

Grayscale Research says Zcash market cap share rose from 0.1% to 1.5% of Bitcoin

Grayscale Research said in a new report that assets such as Zcash are drawing attention as demand for privacy grows. The report described Zcash as an asset with a digital-currency use case and said its market capitalization has climbed sharply relative to Bitcoin over the past year. According to the firm, Zcash’s market cap was equal to about 0.1% of Bitcoin’s a year ago and has since risen to roughly 1.5%. The report also said Zcash’s price increased from about $60 to around $1,500 over the same period. Grayscale Research added that if demand for privacy keeps rising, Zcash could continue to gain market share. The comments were cited by Techub News in a market analysis brief published on Sept. 29, 2026.

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Zcash

2026-09-29 08:18:09

Can ZEC close the gap with Bitcoin? A valuation case built on privacy, usage and market limits

A Blockworks analysis by Jake Koch-Gallup argues that Zcash may look like an upgraded version of Bitcoin at the protocol level, but that alone is not enough to justify a market cap above BTC. The piece says ZEC has surged 25x over the past year, pushing the debate over whether it could, or should, overtake Bitcoin back into focus. Koch-Gallup’s answer is split: technically, Zcash solves a problem Bitcoin never fully solved — privacy — yet in market terms it still lacks the advantages that support Bitcoin’s $1.70 trillion valuation, including first-mover status, the deepest liquidity in crypto, network security, institutional acceptance and its digital gold narrative. The article points to a sharp repricing already underway. ZEC’s market cap is cited at $25.3 billion, or 1.49% of Bitcoin’s, up from 0.05% at the start of 2025. It also highlights on-chain usage, with shielded ZEC hitting a peak of 5.2 million in May, suggesting users are not only buying the asset but actively using its privacy features. At the same time, the analysis lays out the constraints: only about 29% of ZEC is shielded, annual inflation remains near 4%, 20% of block rewards go to a development fund, and privacy features are spreading to larger chains such as Ethereum through projects including RAILGUN and Zama.

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ZEC

2026-09-29 08:30:57

After a 25x Run in a Year, ZEC Reopens the Debate Over How Close It Can Get to Bitcoin

ZEC has surged 25x over the past year, reviving a familiar but controversial question in crypto markets: could Zcash ever overtake Bitcoin, or at least move materially closer to it in valuation? In the source article, Blockworks writer Jake Koch-Gallup argues that if the comparison were made on technology alone, Zcash would have a strong case. The network is framed as Bitcoin with native privacy built in, addressing a problem Satoshi Nakamoto himself discussed in 2010 when he wrote that Bitcoin could become a "better, easier, stronger version" if privacy protection were solved. The article, however, draws a sharp line between technical merit and market reality. Bitcoin’s $1.70 trillion valuation, it says, rests on factors Zcash largely does not have: first-mover status, the deepest liquidity in crypto, the most secure network, acceptance by banks and governments, and its role as digital gold. That is why the author says ZEC is unlikely to surpass BTC in absolute terms, even if it may continue to close the gap. ZEC’s market cap has risen to $25.3 billion, equal to 1.49% of Bitcoin’s, up from 0.05% at the start of 2025. The article also points to growing use of shielded pools, where shielded ZEC reached 5.2 million in May, as evidence that users are not only buying the asset but actively using its privacy features. At the same time, risks remain: only about 29% of ZEC is shielded, annual inflation is still around 4%, 20% of block rewards go to a development fund, and privacy features may increasingly be absorbed by larger chains such as Ethereum through projects like RAILGUN and Zama.

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