Zcash (ZEC) has rallied to a four-year high despite a $20 billion liquidation in the crypto market triggered by President Trump's tariff announcement. The privacy-focused cryptocurrency briefly touched $282.59 on October 11, posting its strongest daily gain since late 2021. This upward movement reflects growing interest in privacy-centric assets amid rising global financial surveillance.
The cryptocurrency market faced severe turbulence as nearly $20 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated following President Trump’s unexpected tariff announcement. In contrast, Zcash defied the downturn, surging to a four-year high. Data shows ZEC's price briefly reaching $282.59 on October 11 before pulling back to about $257.96, marking a 15% daily gain—its strongest since late 2021, when it last traded near $295.
This performance continues a broader upward trend, with ZEC climbing over 100% in the past week and nearly 450% in the past month. The rally is driven by traders rotating into privacy-centric projects amid increased financial surveillance by global authorities. Industry figures have amplified this momentum; Barry Silbert, founder of Digital Currency Group, recently reshared multiple Zcash-related updates.
Community members highlight Zcash's undervaluation relative to its fundamentals. Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius Labs, noted that ZEC has operated as a proof-of-work, fully distributed network for nine years, offering user sovereignty, advanced encryption, and Bitcoin-like tokenomics at a fraction of the market capitalization of peers like Litecoin or Cardano. He pointed to a “renaissance” of developer activity, with new contributors focusing on performance improvements and exchange integrations.
“The community using the power of crypto and public markets to breathe life back into the project,” Mumtaz said. Launched in 2016, Zcash employs zero-knowledge proofs for private transactions that conceal the sender, receiver, and amount—features absent in major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. As governments worldwide intensify financial oversight, Zcash’s shielded-transaction model is regaining relevance among privacy-minded users.