Arthur Hayes has a brand new favourite coin — and it isn’t Bitcoin. The veteran crypto investor not too long ago revealed that Zcash has turn into considered one of his largest crypto holdings exterior of Bitcoin, a disclosure that has drawn contemporary consideration to a cryptocurrency that many had written off.
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Hayes mentioned that as synthetic intelligence, governments, and main tech companies achieve extra capability to investigate public blockchain information, the demand for monetary privateness will rise. Zcash, in accordance with him, is designed for precisely that.
His view isn’t an remoted one. Barry Silbert, a recognized persona within the crypto funding circles, described Zcash as resembling Bitcoin throughout its infancy — particularly round 2013, when BTC was nonetheless a fringe asset earlier than its first main wave of mainstream adoption.
That comparability has resonated with a gaggle of early Bitcoin aficionados who really feel the unique crypto has drifted from its roots.
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“Shielded Zcash allows you to swap and ship any coin, USDT on Tron, Bitcoin, something, and that transaction won’t level again to you. Utterly… https://t.co/AOWKNsDRbc pic.twitter.com/tytoAgM5q0
— Laura Shin (@laurashin) May 12, 2026
What Is Driving The Renewed Curiosity?
Based mostly on a Wall Road Journal report, an excellent variety of longtime Bitcoin holders who had been current throughout a 2026 Las Vegas digital forex convention expressed dismay with how traceable and institutionalized Bitcoin has turn into.
Authorities companies, exchange-traded fund issuers, and blockchain surveillance companies can now monitor on-chain transactions with rising precision. For some traders, that degree of transparency is an issue.
Zcash was constructed to resolve it. Launched in 2016 by cryptographer Zooko Wilcox alongside researchers from Johns Hopkins and MIT, the coin makes use of a know-how known as zk-SNARKs that enables customers to protect pockets addresses, transaction quantities, and switch particulars.
Not like Bitcoin, the place all transaction information is public by default, Zcash provides customers the choice to transact privately whereas nonetheless permitting for transparency when wanted.
Strengthening Demand
The renewed curiosity has proven up available in the market. For the reason that begin of Might 2026, ZEC climbed from round $380 to a excessive close to $615 earlier than pulling again.
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The coin has gained greater than 30% this month alone and is up practically 50% over the previous 30 days, considerably outpacing Bitcoin throughout the identical stretch. On the time of writing, ZEC is buying and selling under $520 after a 5.50% drop within the final 24 hours.
Institutional assist is current. Grayscale Investments continues to supply exposure to Zcash by means of its funding merchandise. But the coin nonetheless carries a major threat that no quantity of celeb endorsement can eradicate.
Featured picture from Pexels, chart from TradingView
