Privacy Coins Soar 213% as Median Altcoin Sinks

Crypto markets have seen a broad recovery over the past month, but one sector stands out from the rest. According to Glassnode data, privacy coins are thriving, with prices up 213% since Bitcoin's peak on October 6, 2025. This is in stark contrast to the median asset among the top 200, which remains 58% below its price at that date.

Bitcoin itself is still down 36% from its October high, while other sectors such as DeFi and gaming are struggling, with declines of around 27% and 74%, respectively. The only sector above its level at the Bitcoin peak is privacy, which includes assets like Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR).

While Zcash dominates the market, accounting for 62% of the privacy sector's capitalization, removing it from the equation does not change the overall picture. The privacy basket excluding ZEC is still up 85% over one year and 56% since Bitcoin's October high.