Zcash, the privacy-focused cryptocurrency known for its optional shielded transactions via zero-knowledge proofs, has indeed exploded in value today, November 7, 2025.
The token surged approximately 18-24% in the last 24 hours, pushing its price to around $632 with intraday peaks above $680 and boosting its market capitalization to over $10.3 billion. This catapulted ZEC into the top 12 cryptocurrencies by market cap, ranking it at #12 on major trackers like CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko.
During the peak of the rally, ZEC briefly flipped Hyperliquid ($HYPE), a decentralized perpetuals exchange token, in market cap—ZEC hit $10.9B while HYPE hovered at $10.8B—before settling just below it again.
This isn’t just a flash in the pan; it’s part of a broader “privacy revival” narrative amid rising concerns over financial surveillance, CBDC rollouts, and regulatory scrutiny. ZEC’s hybrid model allowing both transparent and private transactions makes it more exchange-friendly than pure-privacy peers like Monero ($XMR), which it also overtook in market cap earlier this week for several hours.
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With over 30% of ZEC now in shielded addresses and 30% of transactions using privacy features, users are hedging against surveillance. Integrations like Solana wrapping ($12M volume) and NEAR cross-chain swaps via Zashi wallet are driving real utility.
Halving Hype: The upcoming November 2025 halving mirroring Bitcoin’s schedule is fueling speculation, with block rewards set to halve, potentially tightening supply. Arthur Hayes revealed ZEC as his fund’s second-largest holding after BTC, citing a 750% gain since October. Figures like Naval Ravikant have amplified the privacy narrative on X.
ZEC broke key resistances at $531 and $600, with RSI at 90+ overbought but bullish. Funding rates flipped negative after 350% APR highs, signaling distribution but also whale accumulation (e.g., a $21M long liquidated at $398 amid the pump to $580).
Privacy coins are up big—Dash (+141% weekly), Decred (+96%), zkSync (+122%)—as investors rotate from bleeding majors like BTC (-18% monthly). The X ecosystem is buzzing with excitement, memes, and speculation. Users are hyping ZEC’s climb:”
ZEC flips $HYPE. Next up $ADA and $DOGE”, with a chart showing the overtake. “Zcash ($ZEC), the spotlight of crypto! Now storming into TOP 12… will it surpass $HYPE and $ADA?, predicting a push to $21B market cap.
If momentum holds, $700-800 by month-end isn’t outlandish per CoinCodex forecasts, driven by halving and ecosystem upgrades like Project Tachyon. Privacy could become 2025’s meta, especially with ZEC’s regulator-friendly design.
Overheated RSI and negative funding suggest profit-taking; a BTC dip below $99K could drag alts. Binance’s recent ban on shielded transactions raises compliance flags, though ZEC’s optional privacy mitigates this.
Analysts eye $425 by late November, +12% or $722 by December per CoinCodex, +48%, but volatility is high—ZEC’s 28% daily swings aren’t for the faint-hearted. This rally underscores a shift: In a world of traceable blockchains, privacy isn’t niche—it’s essential.
ZEC’s climb from #18 to #12 reflects a broader altcoin thaw, but its mechanics amplify the impact. The optional privacy model—zk-SNARKs enabling shielded transactions without mandatory opacity—has driven long-term holding, reducing liquid supply by ~28-30% as coins lock into encrypted pools.
This “effective scarcity” mirrors Bitcoin’s halving playbook but adds a privacy premium, tightening sell-side pressure and fueling FOMO. Retail and institutions are rotating from underperforming majors BTC -3% 24h, ETH -4% into privacy narratives.
Arthur Hayes’ Maelstrom fund now holds ZEC as its #2 asset post-BTC, citing 750% YTD gains and “semi-quantum ready” tech. Grayscale’s ZEC Trust ballooned to $137M AUM (+228% MoM), hinting at spot ETF potential and institutional hedging against traceable chains.
Privacy coins surged—Dash +141% weekly, Decred +96%—pushing the category’s total cap to $22B. ZEC’s flip of HYPE signals DeFi liquidity favoring utility over pure speculation, potentially dragging ADA (#10) and DOGE (#9) into contention if volume sustains.
Overbought RSI (90+) and negative funding rates post-350% APR highs suggest a short squeeze liquidated $21M in longs, but also whale accumulation. If BTC dips below $99K, ZEC could retrace 20-25% to $500 support; conversely, holding $620 opens $800.
Jesse Pollak Releases AI Clone: “Jessexbt”
Jesse Pollak, the creator and lead of Base Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain, has launched an AI-powered “digital twin” or clone of himself called jessexbt. This isn’t just a gimmick—it’s designed to help builders and developers get instant feedback on their projects while embodying Pollak’s product-building philosophy.
The release happened on November 6, 2025, aligning with Base’s ongoing push into AI + crypto experimentation. Jessexbt— trained specifically on Pollak’s writings, tweets, and insights about building scalable products on Base. It acts as an on-demand mentor, evaluating ideas for creativity, scalability, impact, and engagement.
Users chat with it via the Base App (DMs) or Telegram. It scores conversations and ranks participants. To kick things off, every interaction this week enters you into a contest. The top 3 builders win a 15-minute 1:1 video call with the real (non-AI) Jesse Pollak. Deadline: November 12, 2025.
Built By: @a0xbot, a finalist from Base Batches 001 Base’s accelerator program. It’s part of A0x’s broader vision for “Crypto’s Collective Intelligence”—an onchain network of AI agents democratizing knowledge.
Pollak announced it himself on X, calling it his “first day in the wild” and expressing excitement about leveling up together. He also shared a dedicated site for more details: jessexbt.live.
This fits Pollak’s ethos of “go and build” in the AI + crypto space. He’s been vocal about how easy it is to create custom AI agents using toolkits like those on Base or platforms like Me.fun—no token launch required. You can tweak personalities, plug in data sources, and even monetize via NFTs or content generation on chains like Zora.
Pollak’s bullish on projects like AIXBT a massive Crypto Twitter influencer bot and Virtuals on Base, seeing AI agents as the future for scaling human ideas.Base itself is exploding: It’s processing more transactions than Ethereum mainnet in some metrics, and Pollak recently stepped up to lead Coinbase Wallet too.
This AI clone is a fun, practical extension—imagine getting Pollak-level advice 24/7 without the waitlist. Head to the Base App or Telegram and search for @jessexbt.base.eth.
Share your project idea (e.g., “I’m building an AI agent for DeFi yield farming on Base—what do you think?”). Rack up those points before Nov 12 for a shot at real Jesse time. Pollak’s not just talking the talk—he’s cloning himself to walk it with you.
AI agents on Base are autonomous software entities that leverage artificial intelligence to interact with the blockchain, performing tasks like managing wallets, executing trades, minting NFTs, or even engaging on social platforms like X (formerly Twitter).
Base, as Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) network, offers low-cost, high-speed transactions, making it ideal for deploying these agents at scale. They combine large language models (LLMs) for decision-making with blockchain tools for on-chain actions, enabling everything from automated DeFi strategies to personalized crypto assistants.
The ecosystem emphasizes ease of access—no need for complex setups or token launches. Key frameworks like Coinbase’s AgentKit (an evolution of the earlier Based Agent template) and CDP AgentKit simplify building. These integrate seamlessly with Base’s infrastructure, allowing agents to handle stablecoins (e.g., USDC), tokens, and DeFi protocols.
As Jesse Pollak often highlights, the goal is to “go and build” quickly, democratizing AI + crypto innovation. Gas fees are fractions of Ethereum mainnet, perfect for frequent agent interactions. Tap into DeFi (e.g., Uniswap V4 on Base), NFTs (via Zora), and stablecoins without bridging hassles.
Optimistic rollups ensure fast finality; agents can run 24/7 with programmable wallets. Projects like Virtuals Protocol and AIXBT are thriving, with tools like Replit templates for rapid prototyping.
Coinbase’s AgentKit is the go-to toolkit for Base, powering autonomous agents that can tweet, trade, or manage assets. It’s open-source and deploys in minutes. This guide focuses on creating a basic agent that monitors wallet balances, executes a simple swap on Uniswap, and responds to X mentions—extending to full autonomy.
Building your first agent takes ~30 minutes—start simple, iterate fast. Once live, it can run indefinitely, embodying Pollak’s “build in public” vibe. What’s your agent’s first task: trading or tweeting?
