This Little-Known Cryptocurrency Is Up 217% for the Year. But Is It a Buy?
Key Points
Zcash is up 90% over the past 30 days and 217% for the year.
Over the past year, there has been an explosion of interest in so-called "privacy coins."
While privacy coins enable anonymous transactions, they were never intended to be long-term investments.
- 10 stocks we like better than Zcash ›
Right now, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is getting all the attention from crypto investors. And rightfully so -- it's up a staggering 40% from its summer lows. But there are plenty of other cryptocurrencies skyrocketing in value even faster than Bitcoin.
Case in point: Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC) is up a heart-pumping 90% over the past 30 days and an even more impressive 217% for the year. So should investors be lining up to buy Zcash?
Missed AI’s "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Lessons from a decade of Zcash
The performance numbers are impressive, but zoom out and look at a long-term chart for Zcash, which launched in October 2016. For much of its existence, its price has flatlined. Take a look for yourself -- it's only in the past year that Zcash has shown any real signs of life.
Even with its massive rally, Zcash is still down almost 75% since its launch, and it's trading nowhere near its all-time high of $5,942 from a decade ago.
So this is really a tale of two different cryptos. One crypto is skyrocketing in value and now ranks among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap. The other crypto is experiencing a dead cat bounce and probably won't sustain its massive gains.
Catalysts for Zcash
There are a few important catalysts for Zcash. For example, Grayscale launched the first-ever spot Zcash ETF at the end of August. Thus far, the Grayscale Zcash ETF launch has been a rousing success. It has now attracted over $500 million from investors.
Image source: Getty Images.
But the big macro catalyst involves the rising popularity of so-called "privacy coins." These cryptocurrencies -- which enable users to shield their blockchain wallet addresses and transaction details from others -- are having a moment right now. And the two big privacy coins right now are Zcash and Monero (CRYPTO: XMR), which are up 30% for the year.
New uses continue to be found for these privacy coins, reigniting investor interest. For example, Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) recently announced plans to offer privacy-enabled trading in Zcash-based perpetual futures.
But is Zcash a buy?
If you're a short-term momentum trader, Zcash could be worth a closer look. Both Zcash and Monero have been big movers this year, and the upward momentum could continue through year-end.
But if you're a long-term buy-and-hold investor, there are likely better buys out there. Just take another look at that long-term chart for Zcash. Do you really want to be buying a coin that flatlined for the better part of a decade?
Privacy coins were never intended to be long-term, buy-and-hold investments. They were intended to enable new types of completely anonymous online transactions, and that has raised all sorts of legal and regulatory questions. If you're buying privacy coins right now, this distinction is vital.
Should you buy stock in Zcash right now?
Before you buy stock in Zcash, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Zcash wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $383,680!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,382,954!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 937% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 26, 2026.
Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and Hyperliquid. The Motley Fool recommends Monero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
