Arthur Hayes Names Zcash His Second Largest Holding, ZEC Jumps

Institutional support and rising adoption drive ZEC’s price surge and spotlight privacy coins.

Colourfull smoke coming out of the head of Arthur Hayes.
Created by Gabor Kovacs from DailyCoin

Zcash (ZEC) has rocketed from $40 to $710 in under two months, pushing its market capitalization above $10 billion and placing it among the top three privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. 

The surge gained momentum after BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes declared ZEC his second-largest holding after Bitcoin in his family office Maelstrom Fund’s portfolio.

Institutional interest is also climbing. Grayscale’s Zcash Trust reported a 228% increase in assets under management, now totaling $150 million, highlighting growing adoption among professional investors.

Zcash, derived from Bitcoin’s codebase, uses zero-knowledge proofs to conceal transaction details, enabling fully private transfers while allowing users to disclose information selectively when needed.

On-chain activity is also rising with shielded (private) transactions now representing over 30% of the circulating supply, a record 4.96 million ZEC. Adoption is being driven by the Zashi Wallet, Zcash Shielded Assets (ZSA), and cross-chain bridges such as “Zolana”, which connects ZEC to Solana’s ecosystem.

Privacy Coins in Context

The broader privacy coin sector is experiencing what analysts are calling a “supercycle,” with total market capitalization climbing past $43 billion, a 51% increase over the past 24 days. 

Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies are now dominating conversations across X as investors reposition their portfolios amid tightening global regulations. The European Union is tightening oversight of crypto transactions and wallets through its MiCA framework and updated AML rules. In the United States, the FATF Travel Rule now requires crypto firms to track and share sender and receiver information. 

Over the past 24 hours alone, among the standout performers were Zclassic (ZCL), up 66.8%, Decred (DCR), gaining 49.5%, and COTI (COTI), rising 44.5%. 

Why This Matters? 

Arthur Hayes’ endorsement and ZEC’s rapid surge signal rising confidence in privacy-focused cryptos,as investors look for ways to navigate tighter crypto regulations worldwide.

Dig into DailyCoin’s hottest crypto scoops today:
COTI Soars 89%, Pushing On-Chain Privacy to Spotlight
$280M XRP Shake-up: Institutional Whale’s Hidden Plan?

People Also Ask:

What is Zcash (ZEC)?

Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency derived from Bitcoin’s code. It uses zero-knowledge proofs to allow fully private transactions while letting users disclose information selectively when needed.

How does Zcash differ from other cryptocurrencies?

Unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, Zcash offers shielded transactions that conceal sender, receiver, and transaction amount, making it ideal for users who value financial privacy.

What are privacy coins?

Privacy coins are cryptocurrencies designed to protect transaction data and user identities on the blockchain. Popular examples include Zcash (ZEC), Monero (XMR), and Zclassic (ZCL).

What is a shielded transaction in Zcash?

A shielded transaction uses cryptography to hide the sender, recipient, and amount, ensuring complete privacy while still being verifiable on the blockchain.

What is the Zcash halving?

The Zcash halving reduces block rewards by 50%, limiting new supply and potentially influencing the token’s price. The next halving is on November 18, 2025.

DailyCoin's Vibe Check: Which way are you leaning towards after reading this article?
Market Sentiment
100% Bullish

This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading forex, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs pose a considerable risk of loss.

Author
Alex Costa

Alex Costa is a crypto writer and investor specializing in researching, analyzing and reporting on promising small-cap projects that are gaining traction in the industry. He has been in crypto since 2018, when he began looking for hidden gems in crypto. Today, he is dedicated to finding the next top performing NFTs and tokens.

Read more

Subscribe here