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Privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash has surged 63% over the past week, briefly reaching $655 and pushing its market capitalization past $10.6 billion on Friday. The rally has propelled Zcash to the 12th-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, outperforming Bitcoin and Ethereum as investors flock to privacy tokens amid growing concerns over transaction surveillance.
At the time of writing, Zcash had retraced slightly to $632, placing its valuation at $10.3 billion and making it the 12th-largest crypto asset by market cap. The coin’s price has risen nearly 23% in the past 24 hours and over 63% in the past week, outperforming most major tokens.
The rapid expansion of the Zcash market cap has reignited discussions about the future of privacy in the digital economy. The coin’s breakout reflects what some analysts are calling 2025’s “privacy revival” — a renewed push among traders seeking financial autonomy and protection from increasing surveillance of on-chain transactions.
As Bitcoin and Ethereum continue to consolidate, attention has shifted toward privacy-oriented cryptocurrencies. Among them, Zcash market cap growth has outpaced rivals such as Monero, Dash, and Decred.
Data from CoinMarketCap indicates that Dash rose more than 141% in the past week, while Decred and ZKsync gained 96% and 122%, respectively. Monero, once the benchmark for privacy coins, posted a modest 12% increase.
The contrast highlights a shift in investor preference. Monero’s stagnation is linked to regulatory headwinds and exchange delistings, which have eroded its liquidity. Zcash, on the other hand, benefits from its dual-mode design — allowing both transparent and shielded transactions.
This hybrid system has helped Zcash maintain compliance compatibility while still offering privacy features, making it a more appealing choice for traders who want anonymity without regulatory risk.
“Zcash benefits from a dual-mode design, which offers transparent and shielded addresses,” according to CoinMarketCap data. “This allows it to coexist with regulated exchanges and institutional custody providers.”
The Zcash market cap surge appears to reflect growing confidence in this balance between privacy and compliance — a combination that could be key to mainstream adoption of privacy tokens.
The climb in Zcash market cap has not been driven solely by trading algorithms or institutional moves. A strong wave of grassroots advocacy and high-profile endorsements has helped propel ZEC into the spotlight.
Prominent figures such as Arthur Hayes, Naval Ravikant, Mert Mumtaz, and Threadguy have publicly supported Zcash and its zero-knowledge proof technology, calling it one of the few truly decentralized forms of value transfer still viable in today’s stricter regulatory climate.
Their posts, podcasts, and interviews have amplified the conversation around Zcash’s potential role in the next phase of crypto innovation.
In an interview on Cointelegraph’s Chain Reaction show, Alex Bornstein, executive director of the Zcash Foundation, clarified that the surge in visibility was organic.
“Neither the foundation nor the Electric Coin Company paid influencers to promote ZEC,” he said. “The recent wave of advocacy was a spontaneous cultural shift rather than a coordinated campaign.”
This grassroots backing underscores how community-driven narratives can influence market behavior — a pattern that has been consistent in the cryptocurrency sector since Bitcoin’s inception.
Despite the soaring Zcash market cap, not everyone is convinced that the privacy coin’s growth is sustainable. Bitcoin advocate and Jan3 CEO Samson Mow urged investors to be cautious.
On Thursday, Mow advised Zcash holders to “figure out” their positions, comparing the asset to Dogecoin. He suggested that investors might consider converting profits from Zcash into Bitcoin, implying that the rally could be short-lived.
Mow’s comments highlight a persistent divide within the crypto community — between those who see privacy coins as essential to the ecosystem and those who view them as speculative and regulatory risks.
Still, the continued rise of the Zcash market cap suggests that many investors remain undeterred. For privacy advocates and traders alike, Zcash’s success may symbolize a broader market shift toward decentralized, surveillance-resistant technologies.
With a Zcash market cap now exceeding $10 billion, the privacy coin is nearing a symbolic threshold — a top-10 ranking among global cryptocurrencies. Whether it can maintain this pace will depend on market sentiment, regulatory developments, and the broader conversation around financial privacy.
The rally has already prompted renewed interest in privacy tokens as a category, suggesting that even in a bearish market, the desire for anonymity and self-sovereignty remains strong.
As the Zcash market cap continues to rise, the coin’s trajectory could shape how investors and regulators perceive privacy in crypto’s next evolution — not as a fringe feature, but as a defining principle of digital finance.
