thecryptobasic.com
$XRP holders are hopeful the coin could perform as strongly as Zcash ($ZEC) when the time comes.
The price of $XRP in recent weeks has been discouraging, with a massive dip of 20% over the past month. Meanwhile, during this period, Zcash was on a historic run.
Zcash Spectacular Price Run
For context, as of September, $ZEC traded at $40 while $XRP traded at $3. From that point, $ZEC went on a consistent uptrend, first reclaiming $100 in October, coinciding with Bitcoin’s $126,000 price at the time.
Indeed, $ZEC’s recent performance has been spectacular. What’s particularly remarkable is that this growth occurred amid a largely bearish broader crypto market.
Its market cap expanded from just around $600 million to over $10 billion today. It also rose in rank from position 90 to its current number 14.
From $40 in September to today’s $750, Zcash surged 1,775%, nearly a 20X increase in just two months.
What if $XRP Soars Like Zcash?
Given the high hopes around $XRP, The Crypto Basic explored what $XRP’s price could be if it mirrored Zcash’s performance.
At press time, $XRP is trading at $2.31, having rebounded 4% today. If $XRP were to surge 1,775% like $ZEC, its price would reach $43.31. Notably, this price would give $XRP a market cap of $2.6 trillion, above Bitcoin’s $2 trillion valuation.
Given the potential valuation $XRP would reach at this price, some critics may call the outlook unrealistic.
However, $XRP has a history that supports dramatic price surges. For instance, in November 2024, $XRP traded at $0.50, and by January, the price had reached $3.34, marking a 568% gain. While impressive, this still pales in comparison to $ZEC’s 1,775% increase.
Moreover, while $ZEC’s market cap grew from $600 million to $10 billion, $XRP’s current market cap of $183 billion means that reaching $2.63 would be a more formidable climb compared to its growth from $30 billion to $195 billion.
$ZEC Still Has More Room
Meanwhile, $ZEC may still have more upside potential. Despite surging over 18X, it is still trading 90% below its all-time high of $5,941, reached in October 2016.
Industry leaders like Arthur Hayes are increasing their bets on the coin. Specifically, the former BitMEX CEO has increased his fund’s position in Zcash, making $ZEC his second-largest liquid holding after Bitcoin, and has predicted it could reach $10,000.
Zcash’s rally has been fueled by growing interest in privacy-focused projects and technological upgrades such as the Zashi wallet and Project Tachyon. Its zk-SNARKs technology enables full transaction privacy, attracting investors seeking encrypted alternatives to Bitcoin.