Privacy coins surge 213% since October, with Zcash gaining 2,200% and climbing from 82nd to 10th place by market cap, outperforming broader crypto market decline.
Macro & Markets ·
Zcash has surged 2,200% over the past year, propelling its market ranking from 82nd to 10th place and making it the standout performer across crypto markets. The broader privacy sector has gained 213% since October 2025, the only asset category to climb above its prior peak despite widespread weakness elsewhere. Bitcoin remains 36% below its October high, while the median cryptocurrency in the top 200 has declined 58%, yet privacy coins have defied this trend—all eight with a full year of trading history are in positive territory, compared with just one in eight across the broader market.
The privacy sector's total capitalization nearly quintupled from $7.1 billion to $33.6 billion, with Zcash now accounting for 62% of that value. According to data analysis, other privacy assets like Monero have also doubled, and three privacy coins—DASH, XMR, and ZEN—have outpaced Bitcoin's performance over 90 days. Monero and Zcash stand among only four assets in the top 25 that exceed their October 6 prices, underscoring the sector's exceptional strength.
The month-long gains reveal a broad recovery across markets: 91.5% of the top 200 assets posted monthly advances, marking the widest monthly gain on record for this dataset. However, this rebound masks deeper damage—just 25 of the 200 assets remain profitable on a yearly basis, and the median coin has lost 55%. Whether privacy coins can sustain their lead or whether the broader market stabilization will narrow the gap remains unclear.