Monero has vaulted to its highest price since early 2018, fueled by a broad market pivot toward privacy coins that has eclipsed the recent hype around Zcash.
At a Glance
- XMR jumped nearly 20% in 24 hours to around $677
- Monthly gains now exceed 62%
- Rally marks the coin’s highest level in roughly eight years
- Why it matters: Traders seeking censorship-resistant assets are rotating into privacy coins despite thinner exchange listings
The privacy coin has stolen the spotlight from sector rival Zcash, with analytics firm Santiment noting that Monero is now the clear leader in the privacy niche after months of relative parity. The firm cautions that crowd FOMO is elevated and advises investors to wait for social hype to cool before entering fresh positions.
From Zcash to Monero
Over the past quarter, several privacy-focused cryptocurrencies have outperformed the broader market. While Zcash dominated headlines late last year, interest has steadily migrated back to Monero.
Vikrant Sharma, Founder and CEO of Cake Wallet, told News Of Losangeles that the shift reflects Monero’s built-in privacy model:
> “As governments expand AML, KYC, and on-chain monitoring, Monero’s technology is being validated. Regulatory pressure and exchange delistings have reduced speculative access, but they’ve intensified conviction among users who genuinely need censorship-resistant money.”
Sharma added that markets appear to be pricing privacy as a scarce financial property rather than a speculative add-on.
Zcash Governance Exodus
Zcash’s recent slide coincides with a governance crisis inside the Electric Coin Company. All ECC staff resigned after a dispute with the Bootstrap board, an event CEO Josh Swihart described as a “constructive” discharge.
Despite the upheaval, Swihart says developers will remain in the Zcash ecosystem. The team is forming a new entity and plans to release a wallet-internally dubbed cashZ-built on the existing Zashi codebase. He stressed there are no intentions to launch a separate token.
Exchange Bottlenecks
Trading in privacy coins remains concentrated on a shrinking list of offshore venues. Many regulated platforms have delisted Monero and Zcash to avoid compliance friction, a dynamic that could amplify volatility.
Market participants note that reduced venue access tightens liquidity, meaning price swings can accelerate when retail interest spikes. The current rally has unfolded on limited pairs, with volume skewed toward derivatives on platforms that still list the assets.
Key Takeaways
- Monero’s $677 level is its highest since early 2018, capping a 62% monthly climb
- Rotation from Zcash to XMR underscores renewed appetite for privacy
- Regulatory delistings have trimmed exchange access but strengthened user conviction, according to Cake Wallet’s CEO
- Zcash developers resigned en masse yet vow continuity under a new corporate structure
