BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has suggested that Zcash (ZEC) could eventually reach 10% of Bitcoin’s market capitalization, a long-term bullish thesis on privacy coins rather than a near-term price forecast. Based on ZEC’s circulating supply of around 16 million tokens, that scenario would imply a price in the high four-figure range, roughly $8,000–$10,000, depending on Bitcoin’s valuation. A Chart Pattern Worth Watching On the technical side, traders point to a possible cup-and-handle pattern, but this is a subjective chart formation with no guarantee of outcome. Resistance is often cited around $625–$650, with some speculative projections suggesting a move toward $1,000, though this depends heavily on broader market conditions and is not a confirmed target. The target also lines up with ZEC’s 1.618 Fibonacci extension, drawn from a $745 swing high down to a $185 swing low. Privacy Coins Pull Ahead ZEC is not moving alone. Monero and Dash, both privacy-focused tokens, have also posted gains over the past month. But Zcash leads the pack. Reports indicate the coin climbed more than 80% in 30 days while the total crypto market cap barely moved — up just 0.2% over the same stretch. $ZEC update This thing is running its own bull market rn… gg I closed my short. Especially with $BTC sitting on support around $76k Even a small pump in Bitcoin makes ZEC go absolutely stupid right now https://t.co/xLs6ficv7l pic.twitter.com/obAhbnXqfp — SnorlaX お金 (@SnorlaxOnChain) May 18, 2026 In the past three days alone, ZEC added 18% as the broader market slipped 3%. That split has prompted some traders to say Zcash is running its own bull market. Growing demand for financial privacy appears to be the main force behind the move, pulling fresh interest into a coin that had been largely overlooked for years. Related Reading: XRP Will Go ‘Higher, Much Higher,’ Analyst Says, Betting On Explosive Breakout Institutional Interest Adds Fuel Earlier in May, hedge fund Multicoin Capital disclosed it holds a position in ZEC. Around the same time, Robinhood added the token to its platform, opening it up to a wider pool of retail investors. Both developments landed at a time when the privacy narrative was already building. Hayes’s comment added another layer. His estimate was speculative — based on a market cap comparison to Bitcoin — but it drew attention and, according to data, ZEC’s value in Bitcoin terms has risen about 20.5% since he made the remark. Whether the cup-and-handle plays out or not, the coin has already proven it can move on its own terms. Featured image from Quicknode, chart from TradingView
Cryptoinsightuk analyst Will Taylor says Monero’s multi-year structure could support a move toward the $1,000 area and potentially as high as $1,160 if the current weekly trend holds. Taylor shared a weekly XMR chart on X and tied the setup to a broader thesis around privacy coins, arguing that Monero’s market structure has continued to improve despite the regulatory and exchange pressure facing privacy-focused assets. “Looking to see if this trend continues or not. Structural higher lows and higher highs, with volatility of the upside moves increasing. I’m thinking a TP below / around the psychological level of $1,000,” Taylor wrote. He added that the more aggressive target sits above that level. “We still have today to confirm on the weekly of course, but just an idea. There is also an argument for the $1,160 region that would align with the 2.618 fib level.” The Thesis Behind Monero The chart shows Monero trading near $388 against USDT on KuCoin. The projected move toward the $1,160 area would imply a gain of around 200% from the highlighted region, according to the chart’s measurement. Taylor’s market-cap chart also shows XMR around $7.15 billion, with Fibonacci extension levels mapped above the current range. Related Reading: Monero Triggers Retail Alert That Preceded ZEC And DASH Drops As Privacy Coin Hype Returns Taylor’s thesis is not based only on near-term price structure. In a longer note from The Weekly Insight, he framed Monero as a bet on the persistence of crypto privacy demand, even as regulators and exchanges have moved against privacy tokens. “The next token I want to look at is XMR (Monero). There’s been an international push to essentially halt privacy tokens like Monero, Dash, and others, due to their ability to make transactions difficult, if not impossible, to trace. I’d like to remind everyone that this was the original vision for crypto—an anonymous, decentralized financial system.” That framing is central to his argument. For Taylor, delistings and regulatory scrutiny do not eliminate the market for privacy assets; they may instead sharpen the divide between assets optimized for compliance visibility and assets built around transaction confidentiality. “Although privacy tokens are being delisted from exchanges, there is still a valid market for them, regardless of how large that market may be. Many people, myself included, value privacy and believe that it will continue to play a significant role in the future of crypto.” Related Reading: Monero (XMR) Rockets 51% To New ATH, But Watch Out For FOMO Taylor also focused on market capitalization rather than price alone, noting that Monero’s current market cap is around $6 billion in his analysis. He said Fibonacci extensions suggest the asset’s valuation could rise materially if the setup develops as expected. “Using Fibonacci extensions, we could see its market cap rise to $35 billion,” he wrote. “Since it has been delisted from many exchanges recently, it’s important to consider market cap as a key factor.” Taylor described Monero’s history as a major expansion from early lows followed by years of consolidation or accumulation, which he sees as a possible base for a larger upside move. “This, to me, suggests that we could see explosive price action to the upside in the future. I believe the narrative for privacy tokens is strong and growing, especially as mainstream adoption increases and surveillance in the crypto space tightens. Privacy is likely to become a critical part of the market in the years to come.” At press time, XMR traded at $387.97. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Changpeng Zhao called on the industry to prioritise crypto privacy features, arguing that the gap is holding back mainstream adoption.
The top two privacy coins are underperforming both their category and the broader crypto market amid the ongoing slump.
Monero (XMR), one of crypto’s most established privacy-focused assets, has exploded higher to start 2026, delivering one of the strongest moves in the market over the past few days. Monero is built around private, censorship-resistant transactions, using cryptography to obscure wallet balances and transfer details on-chain. That privacy-first design has kept XMR in its own category for years, often moving independently from large-cap altcoins when narrative-driven momentum returns. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bull Score Hits Level Seen Only 7 Times In 6 Years – A Rare Historical Signal Since the beginning of the year, XMR has surged from roughly $410 to nearly $799, a near-vertical move that reflects both aggressive demand and a rapid shift in trader attention toward the privacy coin sector. The breakout comes after similar sharp rallies in names like Zcash (ZEC) and Dash (DASH), which also experienced explosive upside followed by fast pullbacks. Zcash climbed to around $750 before reversing toward the $400 zone, while Dash ran to roughly $120 and later dropped to near $35. Those moves set the tone for a volatile privacy coin rotation, where price action tends to accelerate quickly once momentum enters the sector. Now, with Monero leading the pack, the market is watching whether this rally can establish higher support levels, or if it becomes another short-lived spike driven by crowded positioning and thin liquidity. Retail Hype Signal Flashes As Monero Extends Its Breakout Monero’s surge is now starting to show the same “retail frenzy” footprint that appeared earlier in other privacy coins, raising questions about how sustainable this move really is. A trading frequency signal—often associated with crowded participation and late-stage chasing—previously lit up in Zcash and Dash near their local tops, before both coins reversed sharply. In Zcash, the retail-heavy activity spike aligned with a push to roughly $698, and the price has since slid back to around $442, a drawdown of about 37%. Dash followed a similar pattern. The trigger appeared near $120, before the market cooled off aggressively and dragged the price down to the $57 zone. A decline of roughly 52%. Now, the same signal is flashing for Monero. The retail-frequency threshold appeared around $714 as XMR traded deep into its parabolic advance. That matters because these setups often reflect emotional participation, where buyers enter late, liquidity thins, and volatility increases sharply. This doesn’t guarantee an immediate top, but history suggests a clear risk: once retail demand becomes dominant, the rally can become fragile. The bigger question is whether Monero can absorb profit-taking without breaking structure—or if it repeats the same post-spike unwind seen in ZEC and DASH. Related Reading: Bitcoin Reclaims $97K As Long-Term Holders Supply Stays Locked XMR Surges Into Parabolic Territory Monero is showing one of the strongest price trends in the market. The weekly chart is now moving into a clear parabolic expansion phase. After spending much of 2024 in a slow accumulation range, XMR gradually built a base and repeatedly defended higher lows. This has set the stage for the subsequent breakout. Once Monero reclaimed the $200 area, momentum accelerated sharply, and buyers began to absorb sell pressure without allowing deep pullbacks. The chart shows a clear bullish structure. With price holding above rising moving averages and using them as dynamic support during each consolidation phase. This type of price behavior usually reflects sustained demand rather than a single short-lived spike. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bulls Take Control: Futures Positioning Turns Bullish for First Time Since October However, the most notable development is the latest impulse candle. We saw the price surge into the $700 zone with almost no overhead resistance. These kinds of vertical advances often signal aggressive market participation and can lead to a volatility expansion event. Price either continues trending higher or enters a sharp correction after exhaustion. From a market structure perspective, the key is whether Monero can hold above previous breakout zones near $500–$600. If buyers defend those areas, the uptrend remains intact. If not, a deeper retracement could unfold quickly. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com
A sophisticated social-engineering attack led to the theft of more than $282 million in BTC and LTC, with the funds rapidly laundered through monero.
Cake offers a suite of privacy tools, including Bitcoin PayJoin transactions, though it is often associated most with Monero.
The privacy-focused cryptocurrency Monero (XMR) is once again in the spotlight after reaching new record highs, even as governments tighten oversight of digital assets. Related Reading: Dogecoin Bulls Don’t Celebrate Too Early: This Level Still Must Fall XMR recently surged past $700, marking its highest price to date and placing it among the top 15 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. The rally reflects a broader shift in market behavior, where demand for financial privacy is rising alongside stricter regulatory frameworks across major economies. Currently, XMR is trading near $715, up more than 55% over the past week. Trading activity has picked up sharply, with both spot and futures markets showing elevated volume as traders position around the breakout. XMR's price trends to the upside on the daily chart. Source: XMRUSD on Tradingview Regulatory Pressure Fuels Privacy Demand The latest move comes as regulators in Europe and other regions prepare new rules targeting anonymous crypto transactions. The European Union is expected to ban privacy coins and anonymous accounts by 2027, alongside tighter Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements. Instead of discouraging interest, these measures appear to be driving users toward assets with built-in privacy features. Monero, which utilizes stealth addresses and ring signatures to conceal transaction details, has become a primary choice for users seeking financial confidentiality. Market data indicate that the privacy coin sector has performed well since the broader crypto market downturn in October. While some rivals, such as Zcash, experienced sharp volatility linked to internal governance issues, XMR has absorbed much of the rotation in capital from traders seeking exposure to privacy assets. Leverage And Technical Signals Raise Short-Term Risks Alongside strong spot demand, derivatives activity has increased rapidly. Futures volume has shown repeated “overheating” patterns, suggesting that leverage is chasing price rather than building from long-term accumulation zones. In past Monero cycles, similar conditions often led to sharp swings once momentum slowed. Technically, Monero remains in an uptrend, holding above former resistance in the $500–$520 range, which has now flipped into support. The price continues to form higher highs and higher lows, confirming the broader bullish structure. However, momentum indicators are stretched. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has climbed into the mid-80s, a level that historically precedes either sideways consolidation or short-term pullbacks. Bollinger Bands are also widening, with price pressing against the upper band, a sign of elevated volatility. Key Monero (XMR) Levels to Watch Going Forward The $715–$717 area remains a major psychological and technical barrier. A sustained break above that zone could open the door toward the $730–$740 range, based on Fibonacci extension levels. On the downside, traders are watching the $650–$620 zone as a potential support area if leverage unwinds. Deeper corrections could test trend support if liquidations accelerate, though the broader structure would remain intact as long as higher lows are preserved. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced With increasing regulatory scrutiny and a steady demand for privacy tools, Monero continues to attract attention. While short-term volatility is likely, the asset’s role as a leading privacy coin remains central to its current market position. Cover image from ChatGPT, XMRUSD chart from Tradingview
Monero (XMR) has witnessed a sharp rally to a new record during the last few days, but social media suggests FOMO could be brewing in the market. Monero Has Shot Up To A New All-Time High Bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies have been locked in consolidation recently, but Monero has been an outlier, with its price breaking away with a strong surge. Related Reading: Bitcoin Decouples From Global Liquidity: Analyst Says Quantum Threat Behind It Below is a chart that showcases how the asset’s recent performance has looked. The sharp rally has led to new all-time highs (ATHs) for the privacy-focused token, with the latest one coming earlier in the past day around $695. XMR has retraced a bit since this new high, but it’s still in a weekly profit of 51%, which is significantly higher than the returns of other top assets. For perspective, Bitcoin and Ethereum have seen returns of +1% and -2% in this period, respectively. Fellow privacy coin Zcash (ZEC) was flying earlier, but the asset has faced a steep 23% drop during the same window. Generally, rallies of the order that Monero has seen attract attention from traders, and data would confirm that the same has been true for the latest one as well. XMR Has Seen A Peak In Social Dominance Recently According to data from analytics firm Santiment, the Monero Social Dominance witnessed a spike recently. This indicator keeps track of the percentage of the Social Volume associated with the top 100 tokens that a given cryptocurrency is responsible for. The Social Volume here refers to a measure of the total number of posts/comments/threads on the major social media platforms that contain mentions of a given asset. In other words, it tells us about the amount of discussion that a particular coin is receiving from social media users. As such, the Social Dominance contains information about how the degree of talk surrounding a cryptocurrency compares against that of the top 100 coins combined. Here is a chart that shows the trend in this metric for Monero since the start of 2026: As displayed in the above graph, the Monero Social Dominance saw a huge spike on Sunday as the asset’s rally took off, suggesting social media interest in the asset shot up. Historically, a rapid surge in the Social Dominance has often corresponded to Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) developing among traders, which is something that tends to not end well for rallies. Related Reading: Bitcoin HODLer Selloff Ending? LTH Outflows Decline Despite the crowd excitement, however, XMR has only continued to go up since the spike, setting new ATHs. Given the past pattern with digital asset markets, though, it only remains to be seen how long the coin can sustain its move. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com
Monero (XMR) is leading the crypto market bounce by breaking out of a macro resistance level and breaching above the $600 barrier for the first time. A legendary trader has suggested that the cryptocurrency is mirroring silver’s historical breakout and could see a massive price discovery rally. Related Reading: Bitcoin Tops $92,000 As DOJ Subpoenas Escalate Trump-Powell Fight Monero Soars To New Highs On Monday, Monero outperformed the rest of the market, surging nearly 21% toward its new all-time high of $611.01. The privacy-focused cryptocurrency has been leading the start-of-year market rally, experiencing a 43% increase over the past seven days. XMR’s rally has been fueled by renewed interest in privacy tokens and redirected liquidity toward the project, which has driven its market capitalization to $10 billion for the first time. Amid this performance, veteran trader Peter Brandt drew a parallel between Monero and Silver’s long-term charts, suggesting that the cryptocurrency could be near a massive breakout. In an X post, Brandt compared Monero’s current rally to silver’s historical breakout, which led to a massive run toward new highs. Silver saw a multi-decade price setup in which its price accumulated below and retested a macro ascending resistance trendline. According to the chart, its price formed its long-term resistance during its 2011 peak, when it reached a slightly higher ATH of $49.83 before correcting. During its Q4 2025 rally, silver finally broke above this key level, nearly doubling its price toward its latest ATH of $86.23. Similarly, Monero has been forming its multi-year ascending trendline in the monthly timeframe since its 2017 high. In 2021, the cryptocurrency retested this area, also hitting a slightly higher ATH before retracing. Now, XMR has broken out of its ascending resistance and could see a similar path to silver’s recent breakout into price discovery, the post suggested. XMR to See 50% Breakout Or Breakdown Next? Market observer TraderSZ recently shared an optimistic outlook for Monero once it broke through its crucial resistance area and turned this level into support. To the trader, the cryptocurrency could reach three main price targets if momentum continues. Per the post, the initial breakout level could reach the $685 area, a more than 30% rally from the resistance level. Moreover, it could surge between 50% and 80% toward the $790 and $900 levels, like silver’s recent price discovery progression in the monthly chart. Analyst 0xMarioNawfal also highlighted XMR’s performance as “price continues to trend aggressively higher, breaking through previous resistance levels with strong momentum and minimal pullback.” To him, the structure remains bullish, with buyers stepping in and “no clear signs of distribution yet.” As a result, he forecasted potential volatility but added that as long as the price holds above recent breakout levels, the trend will remain intact. Related Reading: Solana Price Jumps, But Network Adoption Remains Weak Nonetheless, Ali Martinez posted a more concerning forecast for the cryptocurrency, suggesting that a significant correction may be around the corner. According to the chart, Monero has been forming a multi-year rising wedge pattern since 2017, with the price bouncing between the upper and lower boundaries. Based on this, XMR could likely fail to turn the macro resistance into support and begin a long-term 50% decline toward the $300 area, where the pattern’s lower boundary is currently located. As of this writing, Monero is trading at $597, a 47.5% increase in the monthly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Monero’s push to a record high follows renewed interest in privacy-focused coins, even as uneven liquidity complicates price signals.
Recent governance turmoil at Zcash has resurfaced questions about development continuity, tempering confidence after the token’s strong Q4.
Privacy-focused cryptos including Midnight, Canton Network and Monero have slipped as investors rotate capital out of defensive holdings.
The price movement comes after the DTCC announced it would adopt Canton Network for the issuance of tokenized securities.
Monero surged 23% this week on futures speculation while Zcash fell equally, reflecting leverage and timing within the privacy narrative.
Monero (XMR) is back under heavy pressure as the market-wide correction deepens, with the privacy-focused cryptocurrency dropping 8% in the past 24 hours to trade at $375. Related Reading: Famous Trader Bets $27 Million That The XRP Price Will Crash This decline marks the fourth consecutive day of losses, erasing last week’s recovery and signaling a shift in sentiment as traders increasingly position for a deeper pullback. XMR's price records strong losses on the daily chart. Source: XMRUSD on Tradingview Monero (XMR)’s Selling Pressure Builds Further Fresh derivatives data reflect rising bearish conviction. According to CoinGlass, Monero’s futures Open Interest has fallen over the last 24 hours, while short positions now account for more than 55% of all trades. The drop in OI, now hovering around $78 million, suggests traders are withdrawing capital as fear of further downside builds. Technical indicators support this shift. The RSI has slipped below the midline, showing weakening momentum, while the MACD indicator has flashed a fresh sell signal. Together, these point toward deteriorating buying interest and a growing risk that XMR may not hold its current support levels. Support Threatened as Analysts Eye Breakdown Toward $350 Despite XMR maintaining an overall bullish structure on higher timeframes in recent months, the short-term outlook has flipped decisively bearish. The price is now testing key support zones, with the 50-day EMA at $348 emerging as the next major level to watch. A close below $358, which aligns with the neckline of a double-top pattern, would confirm a bearish breakdown, potentially accelerating losses toward the low-$300 region. Analysts warn that this scenario becomes more likely if market demand continues to weaken, particularly as retail traders rotate into alternative opportunities and risk sentiment remains fragile. Still, not all indicators point south. Analysts note that as long as XMR holds above $373, there remains potential for an intraday rebound toward the $400–$410 resistance range. But with the price already slipping below that threshold, bulls may face an uphill battle to reassert control. Privacy Narrative Remains Strong, but Momentum Falters Despite the near-term weakness, Monero continues to benefit from growing interest in privacy-preserving technologies. Recent upgrades, such as the Fluorine Fermi hard fork, have strengthened network security and improved resistance against surveillance-based threats. Long-term forecasts remain cautiously optimistic, with projections suggesting steady, though moderate, growth through 2030 and beyond. Related Reading: Analyst Says You’re Looking At XRP The Wrong Way, Here’s What It Actually Does For now, however, XMR remains vulnerable. Unless buyers step in to defend the $350–$360 support zone, analysts warn that the correction could deepen further before any meaningful recovery takes shape. Cover image from ChatGPT, XMRUSD chart from Tradingview
Privacy coins are outperforming as traders turn away from ETFs and transparent ledgers, reviving crypto’s oldest idea: digital cash that can move freely, without surveillance.
The privacy coin's rally comes as experts point to tightening 2026 regulations and a flight to privacy assets during the broader market sell-off.
Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, such as Monero, are roaring back, with the total market capitalization of these coins surpassing the $62 billion mark for the first time since 2021. Related Reading: Rare Chart Formation That Led To An 87% XRP Price Crash Has Resurfaced Leading the charge are Dash (DASH) and Zcash (ZEC), which have soared 75% and 21%, respectively, in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko. Their weekly gains of over 200% for Dash and 45% for Zcash reflect the sector’s renewed momentum even as Bitcoin slipped below $105,000. Data from Artemis reveals that privacy coins have outperformed the broader crypto market, delivering nearly 80% monthly returns, while Bitcoin and Ethereum struggled amid a broader market correction. Analysts attribute this surge to a rising preference for transactional anonymity and self-custody. XMR's price trends upwards with small losses on the daily chart. Source: XMRUSD on Tradingview Monero (XMR) Poised for Breakout With Dash and Zcash dominating headlines, attention is now shifting to Monero (XMR), which has long been regarded as the gold standard for privacy in the crypto space. Monero rebounded from its $339 support level, triggering buy orders and renewed interest from both retail traders and privacy advocates. Currently priced around $346.56, XMR is up 1.48% daily with trading volume surging 38% to $230.96 million, signaling strong buyer conviction. Technical indicators paint a cautiously bullish picture: the RSI at 59.7 suggests healthy momentum, while a positive MACD histogram (+1.53) supports a potential move toward the $361 resistance level. Analysts warn, however, that a break below $339 could expose the coin to downside risk near $320. Sustained volume above $226 million is seen as key to validating any breakout attempt. The Return of Privacy in Crypto The revival of privacy coins signals a deeper narrative shift within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. As compliance frameworks become stricter, investors appear to be rediscovering the core ethos of decentralization and privacy. Monero’s stability in network essentials, such as rising hashrate and shielded transaction adoption, cements its position as a frontrunner in this comeback story. Industry analysts suggest that if current momentum continues, Monero could reclaim its dominance and push the privacy sector’s valuation even higher. Related Reading: From Greed To Terror: Bitcoin’s Fall Below $104K Sparks Extreme Fear In a market dominated by regulation and surveillance, privacy coins like Monero, Zcash, and Dash are demonstrating that financial anonymity remains a need in the blockchain future. Cover image from ChatGPT, XMRUSD chart from Tradingview
For nearly a decade, the rivalry between Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR) defined the crypto privacy movement. The two digital assets promised what Bitcoin couldn’t, true transactional anonymity, but they took very different paths to achieve it. Monero made privacy mandatory, encrypting every transaction by default. Zcash made it optional, allowing users to choose between […]
The post How Zcash reclaimed the privacy crown from Monero appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Zcash's market cap rose to as high as $7.2 billion, while Monero's held around $6.3 billion.
By refusing to compromise on privacy, crypto risks marginalizing itself. There may be a path forward that respects both individual choice and practical constraints, says Rob Viglione, CEO of Horizen Labs.
According to market snapshots, Zcash rose about 30% in a 24-hour span, moving from roughly $272 to a peak near $355. The coin has been up more than 40% in the last week. The token’s gain outpaced all other top 50 coins by market cap during the same window. Volume spiked at the same time, showing traders piled in quickly after a single social post touched off the move. Related Reading: XRP: The Catalyst For ‘Humanity’s Greatest Shift’ By 2030 —Analyst Influencer Posts Spark Buying Based on reports on social media, the rally was partly driven by traders reacting to a bullish post from Arthur Hayes on X. Contributors on platforms like Binance Square flagged the post, and one user known as AB Kuai Dong said an endorsement by what he called a “legendary Silicon Valley investor” pushed people into the market. Vibe check $ZEC to $10k pic.twitter.com/tBc0WaxzZ1 — Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) October 26, 2025 Another poster, Clemente, who is listed as a board member at treasury firm K9Strategy, said they joined the trade because they felt “so much FOMO I couldn’t keep myself sidelined.” These bursts of hype pushed more orders onto the books and helped lift the price in a short time. Past Calls Have Moved Markets Hayes has prompted market moves before. At a Tokyo conference in August 2025, he predicted Hyperliquid’s HYPE token could climb 126 times over three years. That call produced a modest market response then — roughly a 5% uptick for HYPE — but it showed how a single forecast from a well-known figure can sway trader behavior. Market participants say such calls sometimes lead to brief spikes and sometimes to longer trends. Follow-through, depth of liquidity, and general demand all matter. Privacy Tokens See Renewed Interest Reports have disclosed that Zcash rallied close to 500% over the last 30 days and crossed a $5 billion market cap on Sunday, according to CoinMarketCap data. At the same time, Monero, the largest privacy coin by market cap, ticked up about 3.2% to trade near $345 and remains restricted on many big exchanges, highlighting differences in access and regulatory pressure. Technical Indicators Show Choppy Momentum According to a recent Zcash price outlook, ZEC is forecast to rise about 52% and reach $558 by November 26, 2025. Current technical indicators are flagged Bullish, while the Fear & Greed Index sat at 51, a neutral reading. Related Reading: XRP Sparks Bullish Frenzy As Top Software Dev Says It Beats ETF Hype Over the past 30 days Zcash posted 19/30 green days, which is 63%, and showed 37% price volatility. Those numbers point to strong recent momentum but also to a bumpy ride. Some gains may hold if new buyers arrive and liquidity tightens; other gains could fade quickly if selling pressure appears. Based on reports and the data above, the Zcash move highlights how social signals can trigger rapid trading flows. The numbers are eye-catching. Still, traders and observers will be watching whether demand deepens or the rally is a short-lived reaction to hype. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
Monero has released the 'Fluorine Fermi' update to enhance user privacy against spy nodes.
The reorganization was pinned on Qubic, which has acquired over half of Monero's mining power last month and uses XMR rewards to buy and burn its own token.
Monero’s blockchain experienced its biggest reorg on record, invalidating more than 100 transactions and resparking tensions with Qubic.
Qubic attempted a 51% attack on Monero while training its AI model AIGarth. It's now posting on social media—and the public isn’t impressed.
Justin Bons, the founder and CIO of Cyber Capital, has issued a stark warning about Bitcoin’s (BTC) future, predicting that the world’s largest cryptocurrency could collapse in the coming years. The crypto founder has cited Bitcoin’s declining security model and shrinking block rewards as some of the indicators of this seemingly inevitable crash. Bitcoin Forecasted To Collapse Within 7-11 Years This week, the crypto community was shaken by a striking prediction from Bons, who warned that Bitcoin could face a catastrophic collapse within the next decade. According to an X social media post released by the Cyber Capital founder, the foundations of Bitcoin’s security model are fundamentally broken, and the decline of mining revenue will eventually leave the network increasingly vulnerable to attacks. Related Reading: Bitcoin And Crypto Market To Crash? Analyst’s August-September Prediction Bons projected that Bitcoin’s downfall could occur precisely between 7 and 11 years, when the block rewards diminish to levels that can no longer sustain miner incentives. His reasoning is rooted in the economics of the Bitcoin protocol, which relies on a declining block subsidy over time. By 11 years from now, the reward is expected to fall to just 0.39 BTC per block, translating to roughly $2.3 billion annually at current prices. This figure, the crypto founder argues, is nowhere near enough to protect Bitcoin’s multi-trillion-dollar market capitalization. Bons also shared two charts to reinforce his claims. The first shows mining revenue in sharp decline relative to previous years, demonstrating Bitcoin’s reliance on subsidy rather than transaction fees. The second chart reveals how the annual security budget as a percentage of market cap has fallen consistently over the years, shrinking from over 8% in 2015 to barely above 1% in 2025. The Cyber Capital CIO also pointed out that while other chains like Ethereum have successfully transitioned toward greater fee-based security, Bitcoin has failed to adapt, leaving its miners increasingly dependent on dwindling rewards. According to his post, the consequences of this are dire. As mining becomes unprofitable, he predicts that the network’s security could simultaneously decline, opening the door to censorship, 51% attacks, and eventual chain splits. If core developers respond by raising the supply cap beyond 21 million, Bons forecasts that this could fracture the community and destroy Bitcoin’s narrative of digital scarcity. He warned that relying on a system that demands perpetual price doubling to maintain its security forever is nothing short of “madness.” Community Pushes Back Against BTC Crash Claims Unsurprisingly, Bon’s foreboding forecast has sparked intense debate and contrasting views throughout the crypto community. Many members pushed back, acknowledging the concerns about a shrinking security budget but challenging the inevitability of a Bitcoin collapse. Related Reading: Brace For Impact: Bitcoin Price Could Crash To $110,000 Amid Signs Of Exhaustion Some argued that BTC has historically adapted to challenges and that transaction fees, along with scaling solutions, could still provide sustainable long-term security. Others suggested alternative mechanisms, such as MEV capture, sidechain fees, or even institutional miners operating at a loss to keep the network alive. One community member raised the possibility of emergency measures like tail emissions or block size increases, citing Monero’s ongoing debate about similar solutions. Bons conceded that a tail emission might keep the chain alive but insisted it would come at the cost of Bitcoin’s core value proposition, which is fixed scarcity. In his view, such a compromise would leave BTC unable to compete against more adaptive blockchains. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
Qubic is attempting to change Monero forever. In the meantime, the AI protocol is prepping for its next target: Dogecoin.
Qubic’s mining group has picked Dogecoin as its next target after claiming it briefly gained majority control of Monero’s network, according to reports. Related Reading: Trump Coin Jumps 10% On Canary Capital ETF Filing: Details The group said it reorganized six blocks on Monero and then asked its community to vote on which ASIC-friendly proof-of-work coin to test next. The vote came on Aug. 17. Community Picks Dogecoin Based on reports, Dogecoin won the vote with more than 300 votes. Qubic’s founder, Sergey Ivancheglo, shared that Dogecoin beat out Zcash and Kaspa in a public poll. The project says its Monero pool reached a 51% share and that it currently runs about two point three GH/s of Monero hashrate. The group calls these moves “stress tests” and says they are meant to show how its mining model works, while also using pool profits to buy and burn QUBIC tokens. The group added it does not want to destroy networks. The #Qubic community has chosen #Dogecoin. pic.twitter.com/EnevIZUAw5 — Come-from-Beyond (@c___f___b) August 17, 2025 The technical claim has sparked debate in the Monero community. Some developers and miners question whether the pool ever held sustained, uncontested control. Others say the actions — which reorganized blocks — are proof the group can alter short stretches of chain history. Either way, the interruption was enough for Kraken to pause Monero deposits while exchanges and services assessed risk. What A 51% Attack Can Do A 51% attack lets the controller reorganize blocks or stop transactions. A group that controls more than half of a network’s mining power can rewrite recent blocks, halt certain transactions, or try double-spends. Qubic’s move showed it could force a small reorg on Monero. If a similar level of control were applied to Dogecoin, the effect could be larger because Dogecoin has a market capitalization above $35 billion. Still, Dogecoin benefits from merged-mining with Litecoin and runs at a much higher hashrate, so an attack would likely cost far more. Markets and exchanges reacted quickly. Prices moved on the news and custodial services tightened checks. Kraken’s decision to pause deposits underscored how exchanges will act fast when block reorgs or other threats appear. Users and traders faced increased short-term uncertainty. Related Reading: XRP’s Toughest Bull Run Could Lead To Big Gains, Analyst Claims What To Watch Next Based on reports, the timeline is unclear but the issue raises bigger questions. Qubic has not given a clear timeline for any action against Dogecoin. Observers will watch for technical logs, more statements from the project, and any responses from Dogecoin and Litecoin developers. A Hostile Act? People will also be looking for proof that Qubic’s tests were non-destructive and for evidence about how long the pool actually held control. Most outlets call what Qubic did a 51% attack (a chain reorg), not a “hack” in the usual sense — but it’s still an attack on network consensus and many people treat it as hostile. Featured image from Meta, chart from TradingView