Zcash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency launched in 2016, is back in the spotlight after years of lackluster performance. Rising demand, high-profile support, and major technology upgrades have made Zcash one of the hottest cryptocurrencies of 2025.
The cryptocurrency community is interested in what is driving the recent surge and where it will go next.
Arthur Hayes brings attention to Zcash
As its appeal grows, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes recently said ZEC has become the second-largest cryptocurrency holding after Bitcoin at his family office, Maelstrom.
Hayes repeatedly mentions Zcash in his X posts, even suggesting it could reach $10,000.
Privacy Coin is a cryptocurrency that allows users to conduct transactions privately and anonymously.
Zcash difference
Zcash uses advanced zero-knowledge proofs to enable fully encrypted transactions while maintaining blockchain transparency and security. It is the first cryptocurrency to implement ZK cryptocurrency for private peer-to-peer payments.
Zcash has a fixed supply of 21 million coins and a halving schedule similar to Bitcoin. It operates as a decentralized protocol, so users are always in full control of their funds.
Zcash market capitalization skyrockets
Zcash rose to $734 yesterday, giving it a market cap of over $10 billion, surpassing major altcoins like HyperLiquid, SUI, and Hedera. It soared more than 30% in just a few hours, reaching $735.
Currently trading at around $576, it is down about 6% in the past 24 hours, but is still up over 200% in the last month and a whopping 1,200% over the past year. It also ranked in the top 20 virtual currencies in terms of market capitalization.
ZEC is rising despite the overall market downturn as Bitcoin recently fell below $100,000. Experts say the increase is due to technology upgrades and increased adoption.
technical upgrade
A recent report highlights how Zcash has grown from a niche privacy project to a fully functional crypto-money network.
Its shielded adoption has skyrocketed, and Zashi wallet has made private transfers the default for users. Meanwhile, Project Tachyon, led by Sean Bowe, is working to process thousands of private transactions per second.
Zcash has overtaken Monero to become the largest privacy-focused cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
Meanwhile, the privacy coin market is also gaining momentum. The market cap of the privacy market is now $27.6 billion, up 4.8% in the past 24 hours. Zcash ranks first with a market capitalization of $9.2 billion.
However, Samson Mo, CEO of Jan3 and a Bitcoin supporter, warned investors to reconsider their next move. He compared ZEC to Dogecoin and suggested using the profits to buy Bitcoin instead.
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