Arbitrum & Zcash Defy Broader Crypto Market Weakness Ahead of FOMC

The crypto market is experiencing renewed pressure ahead of the Federal Reserve's FOMC decision, but two coins are bucking the trend: Arbitrum (ARB) and Zcash (ZEC). While Bitcoin price briefly dropped below $75,000 and Ethereum fell towards $2,358 amid regulatory setbacks, ARB and ZEC prices remain resilient.

Arbitrum is being supported by institutional adoption and growing blockchain infrastructure activity. Standard Chartered has initiated coverage of ARB, highlighting its expanding role in institutional blockchain infrastructure. The launch of Robinhood Chain, built on Arbitrum technology, has also strengthened the narrative around real-world asset tokenization and institutional adoption.

The Zcash price is showing similar resilience, driven by its growing privacy narrative and network developments. The NU7 upgrade vote saw nearly 2.4 million $ZEC participating, introducing 25-second block times while maintaining the existing halving schedule. Approximately 28.9% of the total ZEC supply is held in shielded pools, reducing the available supply in transparent markets.

The FOMC decision will now determine whether this divergence continues. A hawkish policy signal could bring renewed selling pressure across risk assets, while a softer stance may allow individual catalysts behind ARB and ZEC to remain in focus.