Privacy Coins Surge as Zcash Takes Center Stage
Crypto has seen some volatility in recent months, but one sector is bucking the trend. New data from Glassnode shows that privacy coins have risen a staggering 213% since Bitcoin peaked on October 6, 2025.
This growth outpaces every other sector tracked by Glassnode, including DeFi (-27%), gaming (-74%), and even Bitcoin itself (-36%).
The median asset among the top 200 has actually declined by 58%, highlighting the disparity in performance across different parts of the market.
One of the main drivers behind this surge is Zcash (ZEC), which has risen an incredible 2,496% over the past year and now accounts for approximately 62% of the privacy sector's capitalization. The asset has also seen significant institutional investment, with Grayscale's Zcash ETF attracting $34.4 million in net inflows by September 4.
However, it's worth noting that removing ZEC from the mix still results in a substantial gain for the privacy sector as a whole - up 85% over one year and 56% since Bitcoin's October high.