Monero Cryptocurrency Rises 11% Over the Week

Monero (XMR) rose by approximately 11% over the week to nearly $600 amid the overall negative trend of leading cryptocurrencies. This has once again sparked speculation on whether XMR can surpass Zcash (ZEC) in market capitalization. XMR remains the second-largest privacy asset, with Zcash being the first.

ChatGPT suggested that XMR could overtake ZEC by the end of the year but called it a "plausible scenario rather than the most likely outcome": the gap exceeds $8 billion. XMR's strongest argument is mandatory privacy: every transaction automatically uses privacy features, whereas Zcash supports both shielded and transparent transactions. The main obstacle is limited exchange access: XMR is supported by KuCoin, MEXC, and Kraken (in certain jurisdictions), while Binance and Coinbase do not offer such services, with Binance delisting the coin in 2024.

Perplexity also assessed the likelihood of a flip this year as low: Zcash leads after a major rally and has attracted significant capital. In its view, Monero remains a stronger "pure privacy" asset but faces narrower access to platforms. The gap could be narrowed by a listing on a popular exchange, the launch of a spot ETF on XMR, or a sharp correction in ZEC. "XMR could overtake ZEC in 2026, but under the current configuration, ZEC is the more likely leader. ZEC maintains an advantage until Monero gains a specific catalyst for liquidity or regulatory access; if this happens, the gap could close quickly," it concluded.

Google Gemini noted that the assets differ significantly: XMR is the default choice for pure privacy and network use, while ZEC has received large institutional inflows. "It all comes down to the fundamental clash of pure peer-to-peer use versus institutional adoption with exchange liquidity," it stated. A flip before the New Year is possible, but only if the market prioritizes real use, self-custody, and censorship resistance. As long as the regulatory regime favors tokens ready to meet requirements, ZEC retains an advantage, concluded Gemini.