Zcash Surges Past Monero as Leading Privacy Coin
Zcash has surged to become the leading privacy coin in recent months, surpassing Monero's impressive gains. While Monero peaked at $798 in January 2026 and led the pack of privacy coins, Zcash posted a remarkable 96% gain over just 30 days, while Monero fell about 3% for the week ending September 26. By late September, Zcash had taken the spotlight, trading around $1,530, up significantly from $407 on June 29.
This transformation has turned Zcash from a privacy also-ran into a sector leader. Over the past month, ZEC has surged about 96%, while Monero has gained a respectable 25%. The dynamics of the Zcash vs Monero race have clearly shifted in favor of Zcash.
One key factor contributing to Zcash's performance is its access to investment through U.S. spot ETFs. As of September 25, these ETFs held nearly $996 million in net assets, with Grayscale's Zcash ETF accounting for about a third of all crypto ETF trading since its launch in August. In contrast, Monero lacks any ETFs and faced significant setbacks in 2024 when major exchanges like Binance, OKX, and Kraken's European branch delisted it.
Researchers from the New York cryptography lab