Monero возвращается на трон анонимности после краха команды Zcash Translation: Monero Returns to the Throne of Anonymity After the Downfall of the Zcash Team

Monero (XMR) has once again secured the top spot among privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, nearing its all-time high in value. The asset has experienced growth amidst a crisis in the Zcash (ZEC) ecosystem.

As of the time of writing, XMR’s price exceeds $462, which is 14.7% lower than its peak of $542 reached in January 2015. The asset has shown consistent upward movement for several weeks, outpacing most of its competitors in the sector.

This current trend marks a significant shift from the second half of 2025, a period when investors favored Zcash while Monero faced technical challenges, including a major block reorganization and criticism regarding the centralization of mining.

The situation has drastically altered: ZEC plummeted by 15% within a day following news about the entire Electric Coin Company team leaving. The company’s CEO, Josh Swihart, attributed the fallout to conflicts with the board of their parent organization, Bootstrap.

While developers plan to establish a new organization, the sudden departure of the team raises concerns about Zcash’s roadmap and development coordination. This uncertainty halted the asset’s rally and triggered a sell-off.

The primary source of disagreement stemmed from efforts to monetize the protocol, which included plans to «privatize» the flagship Zashi wallet. The Bootstrap board blocked these initiatives due to concerns over legal and corporate risks.

The departing team has already announced the launch of an alternative wallet, CashZ, based on Zashi’s code, offering users a straightforward migration process.

«Nonprofits are mired in technicalities, while tech startups are rewriting the rules,» Swihart stated.

Data from Santiment validate the project’s issues. Despite ZEC’s market capitalization soaring 15 times in the autumn of 2025, developer activity has plummeted to levels not seen since 2021 since November.

In the past two months, the coin’s price has adjusted by 40%. Analysts have noted that a slowdown in development typically foreshadows altcoins lagging behind the market.

It’s worth mentioning that analysts from a16z crypto asserted that privacy will be the main competitive advantage for projects in 2026.