ZEN surges 17% in a single day, is the privacy coin track really making a comeback?

Horizen (ZEN) increased by 17.07% within 24 hours, currently priced at $11.83, reaching a high of $12.89, hitting a recent peak. This is not just an ordinary surge but a signal of the collective revival of the privacy coin sector. While ZEN leads the rally, privacy coins like ZEC and DASH are also strengthening during the same period, indicating that market attention to on-chain privacy solutions is rapidly heating up.

Why did ZEN suddenly lead the rally

The broader context of the collective revival of the privacy sector

Recently, market interest in privacy coins has significantly increased. Reports show that the three major privacy coins ZEC, ZEN, and DASH have all risen simultaneously during the same period. This is not an isolated performance of individual coins but a resonance across the entire sector. This revival reflects a renewed market understanding of on-chain privacy needs—in an era of fully transparent on-chain transactions, privacy protection is becoming an essential requirement for more and more users.

ZEN’s own project developments

The recent surge in ZEN is supported by clear fundamentals. Horizen’s launch of Mainnet on the Base chain is a key milestone, marking a strategic shift from an independent ecosystem to integration within the mainstream Ethereum ecosystem. As Base is currently a hot spot in the ecosystem, ZEN’s deployment there has attracted significant market attention.

More importantly, Horizen is building a comprehensive privacy application ecosystem matrix. The launch of applications such as ZENDEX (privacy DEX), Gamblor (KYC-free casino), and Obscura (social trading platform) indicates that the project is not just focused on payments but is creating a privacy protocol stack. This diversified ecosystem development helps enhance investors’ long-term expectations of the project’s value.

Highlights from the data

Looking at a longer timeframe, ZEN’s performance is even more impressive. A 7-day increase of 24.15% and nearly 48% over 30 days indicate that this rise is not a one-day event but a sustained market recognition process.

Clear technical roadmap reinforcing expectations

Horizen provides a clear development plan, which is crucial for maintaining investment enthusiasm. According to the project roadmap:

• Q3 2025: Complete ERC-20 migration on Base mainnet
• Q4 2025: Launch Horizen L3 mainnet
• 2026: Initiate ZEN staking mechanism and release confidential computing environment beta

Additionally, the project plans to launch a 1 million ZEN ecosystem fund to further enhance application development. These specific technical milestones offer the market a clear development expectation and a trackable progress schedule.

Unique positioning in the privacy coin sector

Among the three major privacy coins, ZEN’s positioning is relatively unique. ZEC focuses on zero-knowledge proof privacy switches, DASH emphasizes speed and usability, while ZEN aims to build a comprehensive privacy ecosystem—not just private transfers but also privacy transactions, encrypted communications, decentralized governance, and more. This full-stack ambition gives ZEN a different investment logic amid the sector’s revival compared to other privacy coins.

Summary

The 17% surge in ZEN is fundamentally driven by three factors: the collective revival of the privacy coin sector, the project’s strategic layout within the Base ecosystem, and the diversified development of ecological applications. In the longer term, a clear technical roadmap and the launch of a 1 million ZEN ecosystem fund support the project’s sustainable growth. Of course, market volatility always exists; the recent fluctuation from $8.41 to $12.89 within 24 hours also reminds investors to stay rational. Future focus should be on the implementation of technical milestones, especially the Q3 Base migration and Q4 L3 mainnet launch, which will be key moments to assess the project’s progress.