Zcash Surpasses Monero and Enters Top 20 Cryptocurrencies by Market Cap

Zcash (ZEC) has climbed to a market capitalization of $8.4 B, surpassing Monero’s $6.4 B and entering the ranks of the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market value. The price of ZEC rose above $500, extending the upward trend that began in October. At the time of publication, the token was trading around $515.

The rally was driven by growing institutional interest and public endorsement from BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes:

“Choo Choo b**ches. Next stop $ZEC = $1k. I hope all my haters keep shorting,” Hayes wrote on X on November 6, sharing a screenshot of the token’s price.

On November 4, CoinDesk published an in-depth analysis of Zcash, outlining several factors behind the renewed attention to the project.

First, the network prioritizes default privacy: the Zashi wallet sends transactions in shielded mode. Currently, 20–25% of all ZEC is held in private addresses, while about 30% of transactions move through the shielded pool.

Second, a major upgrade known as Tachyon is underway. It will increase network throughput to thousands of encrypted transactions per second without compromising privacy.

Zcash has also strengthened its position as a leading privacy coin, shifting from obfuscation methods to full encryption. Following the November 2024 halving, the project’s annual inflation rate fell to 4%, reducing sell pressure and improving overall token economics.

New features continue to fuel momentum. CrossPay, built on NEAR Intents, enables users to pay for purchases in BTC, ETH, or USDC while transacting in ZEC behind the scenes, maintaining full privacy. The project is also integrating decentralized exchange liquidity, including platforms such as Maya.

A distinctive element of the network is its use of view keys, which allow users to selectively share transaction histories with auditors or exchanges. This improves compliance compatibility and supports broader listings.

Zcash’s development remains decentralized, with multiple independent teams contributing to the ecosystem, including Electric Coin Company, Zcash Foundation, Shielded Labs, and Tachyon. Governance decisions are made through tokenholder voting.

As interest in privacy-focused assets rises, Zcash continues to establish itself as a mature project with limited supply, active development, and a renewed technological roadmap.

This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute advertising or investment advice. Please do your own research before making any decisions.