Suddenly, I remembered one thing: $ZEC this market cycle surprised me the most by how many people began seriously discussing privacy.
Previously, when people talked about privacy coins, comments often included: such coins will eventually be delisted from exchanges.
Now, everything is different. Topics like ETFs, institutional custody, and wallet upgrades have started attracting attention, which at least suggests the market is viewing Zcash from multiple angles.
But there is one thing I believe cannot be ignored.
ZEC’s privacy features are optional; transparent and shielded transactions can coexist. This strongly distinguishes it from XMR, which has privacy by default, and means exchanges, wallets, and institutions can choose different ways to support it according to their compliance requirements.
But such flexibility comes at a cost. As long as a large number of users continue using transparent addresses, privacy across the chain will be difficult to achieve network-wide.
Therefore, I strongly hope that in the future, Zcash wallets can make shielded transactions even simpler. Ideally, ordinary people shouldn’t have to first learn a bunch of technical concepts just to make transfers.
My expectations for ZEC are no longer limited to how much its price will rise.
If someday people use it as naturally as a regular wallet, then the privacy sector might truly get its chance.
