ZEC and NEAR Emerge as Crypto's Alternative Asset Winners

David Hoffman, co-founder of Bankless, says Zcash (ZEC) and NEAR Protocol have emerged as strong alternative trades in 2026. He believes investors are moving some capital away from Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum toward assets with stronger return narratives.

ZEC has captured the 'Bitcoin Bid' as some BTC holders allocate capital to the smaller privacy asset, Hoffman says. Zcash's market capitalization has climbed to around $26 billion after starting from a much smaller base.

NEAR Protocol has become the smart contract alternative, with traders looking beyond established assets like ETH and SOL. Hoffman sees the source of demand for NEAR as more dispersed than that for ZEC.