- Zcash’s comeback shows people care more about privacy, freedom, and fairness as crypto becomes part of daily life.
- The big jump in Zcash’s private supply shows more users trust the project and plan to hold it for the long term.
- Zcash and Starknet are leading a new wave where honesty, privacy, and innovation matter more than hype.
Discussions on privacy, decentralization, and human dignity have given Zcash new commercial interest. Beyond just price speculation, the privacy-focused cryptocurrency that Eli Ben-Sasson co-founded is experiencing a renaissance.
Ben-Sasson, who also leads Starknet.io, connected this renewed interest to a broader reflection on crypto’s evolution. “Crypto doesn’t have global product market fit yet, but it attracts a lot of attention and speculation,” he noted. He explained that speculation has historically fueled every major trend, from Unisocks to NFTs.
However, this time, the focus on Zcash is different. It is “driven by things like Values, in particular Privacy and Decentralization,” Ben-Sasson emphasized. He added that such attention shows how “TRUTH, INTEGRITY, INNOVATION, BROADNESS (DECENTRALIZATION), HUMAN DIGNITY, FREEDOM, do matter and do get recognized and rewarded.”
Rapid Growth in Zcash’s Shielded Supply
Zcash’s renewed attention aligns with data showing a sharp increase in shielded transactions. According to Josh Swihart, “Those who shield their ZEC don’t sell.” CoinMetrics data confirms this trend, showing that shielded ZEC supply grew from 2 million in January 2025 to 4.5 million by mid-October.
The first quarter saw a gradual rise from 2 million to 2.5 million ZEC as accumulation built steadily. Between April and August, shielded holdings expanded further to 3.2 million ZEC, marking consistent adoption. However, September brought a stronger uptick, pushing supply from 3.5 million to 3.8 million ZEC.
The sharpest growth occurred in mid-October when shielded holdings jumped to 4.5 million within weeks. Consequently, this marks the fastest expansion phase in 2025 and indicates rising confidence among privacy-conscious holders.
Zcash and the Broader Privacy Movement
Besides signaling investor conviction, the surge underlines growing interest in blockchain privacy technologies. Moreover, projects like Starknet are pursuing similar principles through transparent, scalable, and post-quantum ZK-STARKs.
