Privacy coins are hot again. What, why, and will it last? Our thoughts👇🧠

🧠 What's hot? @Zcash $ZEC leads the trend. Token's up 3400% from last year’s ATL, hitting its first ATH in 7 years as the halving is coming. The new Halo 2 system removes the old trusted setup and makes private (shielded) transactions easier. Its optional privacy model is attracting attention as a more compliance-friendly approach.

@NEARProtocol is an active L1 that builds the bridge between AI, privacy, and crosschain DeFi. Its Decentralized Confidential Machine Learning (DCML) allows training and running AI models privately using TEEs, so data stays secure and verifiable. NEAR Intents processes crosschain swaps using temporary privaye addresses. The new Zolanear Bridge connects Zcash, Solana, and NEAR for shielded liquidity and private DeFi.

@monero $XMR, a dino privacy coin that used to face delistings and regulatory problems. Its Fluorine Fermi update protects users from “spy nodes” that can trace transactions.

@Dashpay $DASH gained more than 130% in a week. Attention is back to its private mixer. Dash is also seeing real-world use in Venezuela, where inflation is high. Tools like Dash Text and Kripto help small businesses accept crypto payments.

@Starknet is an Ethereum rollup using zk-STARK that has undergone many critical updates lately: - The new S-Two Prover boosts proving speed 10x and enhances privacy. - The Grinta upgrade cuts block times 7x and improves fee markets. - The next v0.14.1 release on Nov 25 will add BLAKE hashing and RPC updates. - 100M $STRK allocated to build trustless Bitcoin yield tools. Starknet is becoming a BTC DeFi Hub through native BTC bridging, staking, BTCFi integration. - @dimahledba proposed adding a STARK proof verifier to Zcash, allowing an L2 where transactions and apps execute cheaply and quickly, then settle privately and securely on Zcash. It means users could move Zcash into Starknet and use it privately in DeFi, perps, games, agents...

🧠 Other privacy chains and tools: - @OasisProtocol: a smart-privacy and confidential-EVM chain. Oasis is focusing on crosschain privacy and privacy in DeAI. - @SecretNetwork: L1 for encrypted smart contracts using TEEs. Its latest update, Proof-of-Cloud, expands SecretVM to major cloud providers for confidential AI workloads. - @MinaProtocol: another OG privacy chain that rises in the privacy wave. The world’s lightest blockchain, using zk-proofs so anyone can verify the chain privately from any device. - @DuskFoundation: regulatory-compliant EVM-compatible chain for institutional-grade RWA tokenization with privacy by ZK.

- @penumbrazone: A private-by-default PoS chain on Cosmos, enabling confidential transfers, staking, and trading through its shielded pool. - @UmbraPrivacy: one of the first privacy protocols on Solana powered by @Arcium. It raised $154.9M to build stealth addresses for fully private crypto transfers on Ethereum and Solana.

🧠 Why now? - The spark started since @0xMert_ went hardcore Zcash maxi. He believes that "privacy" is one thing left that is asymmetric in upside and impact for the entire blockchain industry. The signal was picked up by the X algo, with other big CTs following up. Since then, various privacy coins started to rise from stealth. - Those coins are mostly dino coins, which were heavily shorted and oversold. Once $ZEC broke resistance, momentum and short squeezes fueled the rally. - As onchain analytics and regulatory pressure tighten, “private by design” crypto tools are used to defend visibility, data tracking, and censorship.

🧠 Will this trend last? No and yes. The recent rally is mostly driven by narrative, short-term rotation, and technical breakouts. Just like AI agents, x402, perp DEXs trends, it will cool off once traders take profit or liquidity dries up. So in that sense, it may fade the way other sector rotations do.

But if you zoom out, privacy is a bigger picture: - Regulation is tightening for data privacy in the age of AI, so there is a need for selective, compliant disclosure tools/systems that protect users' anonymity. - ZKP, TEEs, FHE, and multi-party encrypted computes are becoming mainstream infrastructure for privacy protection. - Instead of monolithic “privacy coins,” we’re seeing privacy as a feature layer, built into rollups, wallets, apps, and crosschain protocols.

What are your thoughts about onchain privacy? Let us know in comments. If you like this content, don't forget to RT and follow @PinkBrains_io for more DeFi news and insights. 🧠