As the rest of the crypto space enters a slump, entrepreneurs are banking on privacy tokens, with Zcash leading the charge.
CoinMarketCap data out that zcash (Zec) climbed to a high of $655 earlier Friday, reaching a market capitalization of nearly $10.6 billion. At the time of writing, the rally cooled and retreated to $632, giving it a $10.3 billion valuation and positioning it as the 12th-largest crypto asset by market cap.
ZEC is up nearly 23% in the last 24 hours and has increased in value by more than 63% in the past week, according to CoinMarketCap.
The surge extends a breakout run that has turned the once-observed privacy coin into the frontrunner of the “privacy revival of 2025. This trend is reducing the conversation around surveillance-resistant crypto and financial autonomy.
Related: Why Zcash and privacy tokens are back in the conversation
Top Privacy Tokens Post Breakout Gains in the past week
While Bitcoin (BTC) and ether (Eth) Continue to consolidate, the spotlight has shifted to privacy-focused assets, with ZEC eclipsing its rivals, such as Monero (XMR).
Besides Zcash, CoinmarketCap shown those tokens like the dash (Dash), Decred (DCR) and zkync (Zk) also posted the biggest gains among top privacy-focused crypto assets last week.
Dash showed more than 141% in the last week, while DECRED and ZKSYNC showed 96% and 122% price increase, respectively. Monero (XMR) also posted gains of nearly 12%, but compared to the rest of the top privacy coins, XMR’s gains were modest.
Monero, once the benchmark for privacy coins, has remained stagnant like this faced liquidity challenges and replace delistings Stemming from regulatory review.
Zcash benefits from a dual-mode design, offering transparent and shielded addresses.
It allows for integration with regulated exchanges and institutional custodians. The Hybrid Model enables ZEC to be an easier choice for investors seeking privacy while avoiding compliance issues.
Related: Crypto investors flee visibility for anonymity as privacy coins advance to 80%
Zcash is leading the privacy token charge
Zcash’s charge has been fueled by grassroots advocacy and high-profile endorsements from industry voices, including Arthur Hayes, Naval Ravikant, Mert Mumtaz and Threadguy, key figures who have spent months rallying behind privacy as Crypto’s next major narrative.
Their posts and podcasts reinforced the message that Zcash’s Zero-Knowledge Proof Technology could represent a pure form of decentralized value transfer that would survive in a tight regulatory environment.
In Cointelegraph’s chain reaction, Zcash Foundation Executive Director Alex Bornstein said that neither the Foundation nor the Electric Coin Company Paid influencers to promote ZEC. He says the recent wave of advocacy is a spontaneous cultural shift rather than a coordinated campaign.
However, not everyone is excited about Zcash. Jan3 CEO and Bitcoin advocate Samson Mow warned Zcash investors to “figure out” their positions on Thursday. Comparing Zcash to Dogecoin, Mow advised Zcash investors to use their gains to buy BTC.
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