Since September, the price of Zcash has skyrocketed by 700%, while the volume of shielded transactions in the privacy-focused cryptocurrency hit a record 4.9 million ZEC.
The zk-SNARKs–based protocol allows users to move tokens into shielded pools, obscuring transaction history. Over its evolution, Zcash has introduced three generations of privacy protocols — Sprout, Sapling, and Orchard — each maintaining backward compatibility while enhancing security and performance.
Currently, Orchard is the largest pool, accounting for 4.1 million ZEC. Helius CEO Kab Mert Mumtaz described the surge as “one of the wildest dynamics in crypto history.”
“The more ZEC that’s shielded, the higher the anonymity set and the greater the overall privacy of the Zcash network,” he explained.
Mumtaz also announced the creation of a new independent developer team focused on blockchain scalability and security.
Leader Among Privacy Coins
Zcash continues its strong rally — the coin rose 8.6% over the past 24 hours and 46.4% in a week, now trading around $344. One of the early catalysts was the launch of the Grayscale Zcash Trust, while renewed privacy-related regulatory debates further fueled demand.
Despite the rally, ZEC remains 89.2% below its all-time high of $3,191, reached on October 29, 2016, according to CoinGecko. Former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes predicts the token could eventually reach $10,000.
Mumtaz believes Zcash could surpass XRP in market capitalization. In terms of growth, Zcash far outpaces sector leader Monero — while XMR dropped 3.6% in 24 hours and gained only 3% weekly, Zcash soared 404% over the month. Their market caps currently stand at $6.1 billion (XMR) and $5.6 billion (ZEC).
Starting in 2027, the EU’s new AML regulations will ban anonymous crypto accounts and the use of privacy coins, posing fresh challenges for projects like Zcash and Monero.