Zcash: Новый Стандарт Конфиденциальности в Мире Криптовалют Translation: Zcash: A New Standard of Privacy in the World of Cryptocurrencies

Zcash (ZEC) is poised to become the «spiritual successor» to the first cryptocurrency as the digital assets market converges with traditional finance, according to analyst Will Owens from Galaxy Digital.

He believes that the coin is already seen as an alternative to digital gold.

Owens noted ZEC’s growing popularity among those wary of Bitcoin’s centralization due to Wall Street involvement and concerned about the traceability of on-chain transactions. Zcash enables users to «shield» transfers through zero-knowledge proofs, ensuring anonymity.

Proponents of the privacy-focused coin refer to it as «encrypted Bitcoin» and a return to cypherpunk principles. In Owens’ view, this stands in contrast to Bitcoin’s situation, where ETFs reinforce the role of centralized custodians. Meanwhile, U.S. regulators are intensifying scrutiny of mixers like Samourai.

The Galaxy analyst pointed out that the fundamental metrics for Zcash have remained constant, but the perception of the technology has shifted. The privacy of the network is increasing with the growing number of shielded transactions. The larger the pool, the harder it is to track the flow of funds. Currently, about 30% of Zcash’s supply is held in such transactions.

According to CoinGecko, ZEC stands as the largest private asset by market capitalization at $7.4 billion, with its closest competitor, Monero (XMR), valued at $6.7 billion.

XMR is defying the broader downtrend by showing positive momentum. On November 5, the coin reached an intraday high of $377. In the past 24 hours, it increased by 7.8%, and over the month, it has grown by 11%.

Experts attribute these developments to a rising demand for financial anonymity. TYMIO founder Georgiy Verbitskiy stated that privacy has become a key narrative within the cryptocurrency industry, driven by tightening global regulations and impending requirements for exchanges to report wallet information to tax authorities.

Slava Demchuk, CEO of AMLBot, believes that heightened oversight of major blockchains is pushing users toward alternatives. According to Peter Chang, head of Presto Research, the emergence of «power hubs» in niche markets driven by retail interest is a characteristic of the current market cycle.

It’s worth noting that in November, Zcash developers unveiled their roadmap for the fourth quarter.