Nasdaq-listed Cypherpunk Applied sciences has expanded its crypto company treasury with a brand new buy of Zcash tokens for about $29 million.
Based on Tuesday’s announcement, the corporate purchased 56,418 Zcash (ZEC) paying a median worth of $514 per token. The acquisition brings Cypherpunk’s whole holdings to 290,062.67 ZEC, or about 1.76% of the token’s circulating provide.
Zcash, launched in 2016 as a Bitcoin fork, is a privacy-focused blockchain that makes use of zero-knowledge proofs to confirm transactions with out revealing the sender, recipient or transaction quantity. Like Bitcoin, its native token has a 21 million cap.
Based on Cypherpunk’s chief funding officer, Will McEvoy, the corporate goals to build up 5% of the whole ZEC provide and it’s “properly positioned for a market that’s repricing the societal significance of privateness.”
Previously a biotech firm referred to as Leap Therapeutics, the corporate rebranded in November as Cypherpunk Applied sciences, as a Zcash-focused digital asset firm. The corporate’s inventory has surged virtually 170% to about $1.18 at time of writing, from $0.44 earlier than it rebranded, in response to Google Finance information.
Cypherpunk is backed by Winkevoss Capital, the enterprise capital agency of Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
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Zcash outpaces Bitcoin as privateness debate returns
Zcash has surged greater than 800% this 12 months, rising to about $536 per token from roughly $58 a 12 months in the past, in response to CoinGecko information, whereas Bitcoin (BTC) is down about 5% over the identical interval.
The efficiency follows renewed privateness debates in 2025, pushed by advances in AI and digitalization, alongside rising assist from influential crypto commentators.
A number of crypto trade figures, together with former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes and Helius co-founder Mert Mumtaz, have highlighted Zcash’s privateness options as an element behind the token’s latest efficiency, which has outpaced a lot of the broader altcoin market.
Zcash Basis government director Alex Bornstein advised Cointelegraph that the asset’s latest momentum displays natural demand, pushed by rising unease over authorities overreach and digital privateness.
On Monday, Hayes wrote on X that ZEC’s worth could also be organising for an preliminary transfer towards the $1,000 degree. On a latest podcast, he mentioned markets may see renewed liquidity by behind-the-scenes Fed funding instruments, a shift he believes would favor zero-knowledge applied sciences and privateness tokens resembling ZEC.
Nonetheless, not everyone seems to be satisfied an upward transfer is imminent. Analyst Eric Van Tassel warned on Saturday {that a} “corrective pullback” to $400 is feasible.
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