Arthur Hayes revealed that ZEC has climbed to become the second-largest liquid position in his family office portfolio, sitting behind only Bitcoin. The BitMEX co-founder shared the update Friday on X as privacy tokens rallied across the board.
The token's price appreciation drove it into the top spot among Maelstrom's holdings after surging from $137 to over $730 in a single month. ZEC currently trades at $548 following an 11.8% pullback, with market capitalization reaching $8.9 billion and 24-hour volume jumping 139% to $4.63 billion.
Sector Performance and Investor Sentiment
Privacy-focused tokens dominated weekly performance charts as $DASH, $DCR, and $ZK each posted triple-digit gains. Mainstream assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum remained range-bound during the same period, underscoring the sector rotation into privacy protocols.
Zcash Foundation executive director Alex Bornstein attributed the momentum to grassroots movement rather than coordinated promotion. Speaking on Cointelegraph's Chain Reaction show, he emphasized that growing surveillance concerns and demand for financial autonomy fueled the organic rally.
The foundation operates independently from market activity and had no involvement in the renewed attention, Bornstein clarified. He described watching mentions spread across platforms with surprise before the movement gained full momentum.
Zcash Token Architecture and Market Dynamics
ZEC maintains a hybrid architecture that supports both transparent and shielded transactions, differentiating it from purely private alternatives. The token shares structural similarities with Bitcoin, including a 21 million supply cap and proof-of-work consensus mechanism. Current circulating supply stands at 16.28 million tokens with a fully diluted valuation of around $11.5 billion.
The rally reflects broader investor interest in protocols offering transaction privacy as regulatory frameworks tighten globally. Sector performance suggests sustained demand for cryptocurrency tools that preserve financial autonomy despite mainstream market headwinds affecting major digital assets.