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ZEC Open Interest Soars as Retail Investors Join the Rally
Since late September, Zcash (ZEC) has captured significant attention in the cryptocurrency market, rallying an impressive 488% from $46.20 on September 22 to a recent high of $271.68. In Q4 2025 alone, ZEC has surged over 266%, marking it as one of the standout performers among altcoins.
On October 21, ZEC briefly crossed the psychological $300 resistance but encountered selling pressure around $304, leading to a short-term pullback.
Privacy Coins Gain Momentum
The surge in ZEC’s price coincides with a broader resurgence in demand for privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. Another privacy coin, Dash (DASH), also saw notable gains, rising nearly 99% in October.
According to data from zkp.baby, a Zcash metrics dashboard, the amount of shielded ZEC tokens—those using privacy features—has increased significantly, from 3.82 million on October 8 to approximately 4.864 million tokensshielded recently. This means about 30% of Zcash’s total supply is now shielded, highlighting growing on-chain privacy adoption.
Shielding involves moving funds from transparent pools to anonymous ones using zero-knowledge cryptographic proofs, which prevent the network from accessing sensitive transaction data.
The Legacy of Zero-Knowledge Proofs
Popular Solana developer Mert from Helius highlighted on X that the concept of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) was groundbreaking even during Bitcoin’s inception. Both Mert and entrepreneur Naval Ravikant connect Zcash’s privacy features to Bitcoin’s foundational vision of “encrypted and unstoppable cash.” Mert noted that Satoshi Nakamoto acknowledged that practical ZK-proofs could improve Bitcoin’s architecture.
Technical Analysis Points to Key Levels
ZEC is currently trading within a short-term range between $190 and $292. The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator remains above +0.05, signaling strong buying interest, while the Money Flow Index (MFI) shows a cooling momentum as it falls from overbought levels.
Swing traders may watch for a breakout above the $290-$305 zone, while privacy-focused investors remain attentive to ZEC’s fundamental strengths.
