# Zcash Rally Melts Faces, Reaching Levels Unseen Since 2018

*Author: Jack Inabinet*
*Published: Nov 7, 2025*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/read/news/zcash-continues-melting-faces-reaches-prices-unseen-since-january-2018*

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Zcash (ZEC) – the long-standing privacy-focused cryptocurrency – is up another 33% today, nearly doubling its market capitalization on the week and compounding to gains of over 1,000% since its unrelenting rally commenced in late September.

### What's the Scoop?
- **ZEC Mania: **Zcash's parabolic pump began in late September. It received mainstream crypto news coverage just days later, [heralded](https://www.bankless.com/read/news/zcash-puts-in-face-melting-rally-as-privacy-narrative-reignites) as a clear signal for renewed interest in financial privacy and bullish tailwinds from a series of ecosystem developments.
- **Sector Outperformance: **Compared to Monero's XMR, another leading privacy sector coin, Zcash's ZEC has been the clear market favorite. During the six weeks prior to writing, ZEC outperformed its close competitor by ~850% in spite sizables XMR gains.
- **Vicious Squeeze: **Zcash's market capitalization was just 20% of Monero's when this rally began. ZEC's respective value status – combined with a multi-year period of price stagnancy – likely helped seed outsized gains, which now appear to be creating FOMO as the ZEC pump persists.
- **Crypto Safe Haven: **Crypto markets have declined since October (TOTAL is down approximately 14%), yet ZEC managed to defy the trend. Although crypto narratives constantly rotate, ZEC has no doubt cemented its status as "safe haven" during the recent market downturn.

> ZEC erased almost 8 years of downside in just 6 weeks → up 4000%.Still the greatest market there is. [pic.twitter.com/1IxO5gSzh7](https://t.co/1IxO5gSzh7)— CryptoAmsterdam (@damskotrades) [November 7, 2025](https://twitter.com/damskotrades/status/1986772019854160184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)