Zcash Surges 30% After Arthur Hayes Predicts a $10K Price Target
Key Takeaways
• Zcash rises 30% in 24 hours after Arthur Hayes shares a bullish prediction.
• The coin has gained 490% in the last month, breaking above $5 billion in market capitalization.
• Traders link the rally to Hayes’ influence and growing interest in privacy tokens.
• Privacy coins like Zcash and Monero are returning to the spotlight.
Arthur Hayes Sparks a New Wave of Hype
Zcash is having its biggest moment in years. The privacy-focused cryptocurrency exploded more than 30% in a single day after Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and one of the most influential figures in the crypto world, predicted the token could one day reach $10,000.
The post, which Hayes called a “vibe check,” went live on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday. Within hours, Zcash surged from $272 to $355, outperforming every major cryptocurrency in the top 50 by market value.
Hayes has a track record of moving markets with his words. At the WebX 2025 conference in Tokyo, he said Hyperliquid’s HYPE token could rise 126 times in three years. That prediction alone triggered a four percent spike within hours.
This time, his comments sent traders into a frenzy. Binance Square contributor AB Kuai Dong said the rally came straight from Hayes’ post, describing him as a “legendary Silicon Valley investor” whose name alone was enough to ignite a wave of FOMO.
Another trader, Clemente, who sits on the board of K9Strategy, admitted on X that he couldn’t resist joining the run, saying he was “so full of FOMO” that he had to buy in.
Privacy Tokens Back in Focus
While Hayes’ comment was the spark, many traders believe the Zcash rally goes deeper than hype. Investor JonnyJpegs pointed out that the rise in ZEC may be tied to a growing appetite for privacy tokens as governments around the world move to tighten control over encryption and anonymous transactions.
Zcash has now climbed 490% in 30 days, passing the $5 billion market cap mark for the first time since its launch in 2016, according to CoinGecko. The project’s technology allows users to choose between transparent or fully private transactions through zero-knowledge proofs, which keep both sender and receiver identities hidden.
The privacy narrative has also lifted Monero, the leading coin in the category. XMR gained more than three percent in the same period, trading around $346. However, Monero remains delisted from most major exchanges including Binance and OKX due to privacy regulations in Europe and Asia.
Old Giants Rising Again
Traders are calling it the season of “dino coins,” a comeback for older cryptocurrencies that helped shape the early blockchain era. As discussions around privacy, freedom, and decentralization return to the center of crypto, classic projects like Zcash and Dash are suddenly relevant again.
If Arthur Hayes’ prediction comes true, Zcash could turn from a forgotten relic into the flagship of a new privacy revolution. For now, the market has made one thing clear. The “vibe check” worked, and everyone was watching ZEC.
