Catenaa, Tuesday, January 13, 2025-Monero has retaken its position as the leading privacy cryptocurrency by market capitalization, climbing toward all-time highs as Zcash faces renewed uncertainty following a developer exodus.
XMR traded around $460 on Thursday, approaching levels last seen near $490 in late December. The rise extends a multi-week advance that has outperformed much of the broader privacy-coin market, reversing a trend from mid-2025 when traders favored Zcash during the sector’s rally.
Monero’s recent surge comes despite past network concerns, including its largest-ever block reorganization in September, which had previously raised questions about reorg risk and mining concentration.
Zcash, by contrast, dropped sharply after the entire Electric Coin Company team resigned amid a governance dispute with its parent nonprofit board.
CEO Josh Swihart said the departing developers are forming a new company, fueling uncertainty over Zcash’s near-term development and strategic direction. The selloff pushed ZEC down roughly 15% on Thursday, partially unwinding gains from late 2025.
Analysts note that investor focus appears to be returning to Monero as a stable privacy play, while Zcash’s organizational instability has rattled confidence in its roadmap.
Privacy-focused projects continue to attract attention as investors and developers prepare for 2026, with some industry voices predicting that privacy will become a key competitive factor for digital assets this year.
