Zcash, Dash, Railgun Rally as Market Shifts Focus Back to Privacy Tokens

Privacy Tokens Surge as Market Revisits 2018 Themes

Capital is rotating back into the privacy sector as broader liquidity searches for fresh narratives, signaling a “back-to-roots” trade reminiscent of the 2017–18 bull market.

Privacy-focused tokens have rallied sharply, posting an average 15% gain over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko. Zcash (ZEC, $233.69) led the pack with a 40% one-day gain, pushing seven-day returns above 85%, making it the top-performing large-cap token.

Other movers include Dash (DASH, $44.56), Verge (XVG, $0.00748), Decred (DCR, $19.84), and Tornado Cash (TORN, $15.02), each up 13–35% over the past day. Railgun’s RAIL token soared 117% in 24 hours and over 300% in a week. Trading volumes are climbing across the sector, with ZEC alone seeing $1.1 billion in spot turnover.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin trades just under $122,000 and Ether around $4,350, as major assets take a breather after earlier highs this week.

Catalysts Behind the Rally
Monero (XMR) remains a core privacy play, with its “Fluorine Fermi” update enhancing protection against spy nodes. Railgun benefits from renewed focus on smart contract–based shielded transactions, while Zcash’s rally is supported by Zashi wallet integrations enabling cross-chain shielded swaps.

Dash has surged as traders revisit its payments branding amid renewed stablecoin regulation debates. These flows suggest positioning for a broader regulatory narrative, with investors rotating into sectors beyond Bitcoin—including AI, memes, infrastructure, and now privacy.

Sustained Strength Suggests a Broader Trend
The multi-day gains indicate this is more than a short-term spike. Historically, privacy tokens have rallied during periods of heightened surveillance or compliance concerns. Today, a U.S. government shutdown, dovish central bank signals, and renewed debates over financial censorship provide a similar backdrop. Privacy assets are increasingly aligning with Bitcoin’s hedge narrative, offering both speculative upside and defensive appeal.