Zcash (ZEC) Price: Why This Privacy Coin Still Dominates the Competition in 2025

Privacy isn't dead—it's just getting expensive. While regulators circle and mainstream coins broadcast every transaction, Zcash continues to operate in the shadows, offering a level of financial discretion that makes Wall Street's private banking desks look like public ledgers.

The Shielded Pool Advantage

Zcash doesn't just hide your wallet address—it encrypts the entire transaction. Zero-knowledge proofs, the tech under its hood, let you prove payment happened without revealing sender, receiver, or amount. It's the difference between whispering in a crowded room and having the conversation in a soundproof vault. Competitors offering 'optional' privacy often leave metadata trails; Zcash's shielded transactions leave zero.

Institutional Adoption vs. Regulatory Friction

Grayscale and other big players hold ZEC. Why? Because actual money—not just crypto-twitter hype—values verifiable privacy for treasury management and confidential settlements. Meanwhile, the SEC still debates whether a token is a security, a commodity, or a digital collectible. Zcash bypasses the debate entirely by making the transaction itself the point of value.

The Price of Anonymity

Privacy features demand more computational power, which historically weighed on ZEC's scalability and cost. But 2025's network upgrades are slashing those fees, making shielded transactions nearly as cheap as transparent ones. The market is noticing: when surveillance spikes, ZEC volume tends to jump. It's a cynical hedge against transparency.

Surviving the Privacy Coin Purge

Monero faces exchange delistings. Other 'privacy' coins are just mixing services with a token attached. Zcash survives—and thrives—by offering a legitimate use case for enterprises and individuals who'd rather not have their balance sheet be public gossip. In a world where every finfluencer thinks your portfolio is their content, that's not just a feature—it's the product.

Zcash proves a simple, provocative truth: in digital finance, the most valuable asset isn't always the one shouting its price from the rooftops. Sometimes, it's the one you can't see at all—unless you hold the keys.

TLDR

• Zcash has gained 699% since January 1, trading at $385.81, though it has dropped 37% in the past 30 days
• Real Vision CEO Raoul Pal suggests the rally may be driven by capital rotation rather than a sustained bull trend
• The token surged 30% in October after Arthur Hayes predicted it could reach $10,000
• Grayscale filed to convert its Zcash fund into a spot ETF in November, signaling growing institutional interest
• Zcash offers both private and transparent transactions, making it more appealing to regulators than competitors like Monero

Zcash has posted strong gains this year, with the privacy-focused cryptocurrency rising 699% since the start of January. The token currently trades at $385.81, according to CoinMarketCap data.

However, macro investor Raoul Pal cautions that the recent price movement may reflect capital rotation within the crypto market rather than the start of a lasting uptrend. Pal, who founded Real Vision, shared his views on the “When Shift Happens” podcast on Thursday.

“We can’t prove it until the whole market goes up and it continues to trend and not a rotation,” Pal said. “Right now it’s confirming the rotation thesis.”

The token’s momentum has slowed in recent weeks. Over the past 30 days, Zcash has declined approximately 37% from its recent highs.

Pal indicated he is watching for Zcash to establish a stable price floor before considering a purchase. “What you want to see is whether it finds a base and then starts pulling up again,” he explained.

Price Surge Followed Hayes Prediction

Zcash saw a sharp 30% gain in 24 hours on October 26 after crypto entrepreneur Arthur Hayes suggested the token could eventually reach $10,000. The prediction came as interest in privacy-focused cryptocurrencies increased.

To sell, or not to sell, that is the question. $ZEC to $10k or $10 ??????????pic.twitter.com/hOgcx5iILc

— Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) November 11, 2025

The token’s market capitalization grew from under $1 billion in August to over $7 billion by early November. This growth occurred even as the broader crypto market faced downward pressure.

Privacy coins have gained attention as more crypto users prioritize anonymity in their transactions. crypto exchange XT Exchange noted this trend in a statement on November 9.

Institutional Interest Grows

Grayscale Investments filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on November 27 to convert its Zcash fund into a spot ETF. The move follows similar filings for Bitcoin, Ether, Dogecoin and XRP.

JUST IN: GRAYSCALE files to launch the FIRST-EVER ZCASH ETF. pic.twitter.com/47SHz3e8C9

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) November 26, 2025

Zcash differs from other privacy coins through its dual transaction system. The cryptocurrency supports both transparent and shielded wallet addresses. This design allows some transactions to remain public while others stay private.

The token uses zk-SNARKs, a type of cryptographic proof that validates transactions without revealing sender, receiver or amount information. Users can also share specific transaction details with third parties like regulators when needed.

This flexibility may give Zcash an advantage over competitors. Monero, another privacy coin, hides all transaction details by default with no option for auditing. This has led to delistings from major exchanges.

Zcash has seen some success in getting relisted on exchanges recently. Smaller privacy tokens like Dash have faced similar delisting challenges without the same recovery.