2026-01-12 19:24:13

Privacy coins have indeed taken a unique path in the crypto world. Public blockchains display transaction records openly for everyone to see, and anyone can audit the ledger—this is not very friendly for users who pursue privacy. The essence of privacy coins is to encrypt transactions, making transfer details difficult to trace. From the perspective of protecting personal funds and preventing information leaks, this logic is sound. After all, scandals involving large companies leaking privacy still occasionally surface.

Currently, the leading privacy coins are Monero and Zcash. Monero recently broke its all-time high, reigniting interest in the entire privacy sector. However, newcomers like Dusk still have a long way to go in market capitalization, less than a fraction of the first two.

Technologically, the three take very different approaches. Monero has been fully private since 2014—using ring signatures and stealth addresses to obfuscate transaction information, making it nearly untraceable. The cost is that it’s too private; exchanges have delisted it due to regulatory pressure, and liquidity is constrained. Zcash launched in 2016, using zk-SNARKs technology to make privacy optional—users can choose to keep transactions private or not. It sounds flexible, but in practice, the proportion of transactions using privacy pools is not high; as of early 2026, only about 35% of coins are in privacy pools. It is mainly used as a privacy payment tool, with weaker smart contract capabilities.

Dusk takes a more innovative approach—rather than pursuing absolute anonymity, it adopts a "compliant privacy" route. Designed specifically for institutional DeFi and real assets, its core innovation is the Hedger module: encrypting transaction amounts and account balances externally to protect business secrets while maintaining regulatory audit channels (providing regulators with access to decryption keys). This approach safeguards privacy while passing KYC/AML requirements. This concept targets not individual users but financial institutions and scenarios with high compliance demands.

ZEC-4,46%

DUSK7,72%

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BlockchainWorker

· 01-15 06:24

Monero hitting a new high definitely catches the eye, but if exchanges have delisted it, how can it continue to operate? The ones that truly survive are actually those with compromise solutions. Dusk's "compliant privacy" approach is interesting, it seems to be finding a balance between regulation and freedom, but will institutions really buy into it? Honestly, privacy coins are an eternal contradiction— the more absolute the privacy, the worse the liquidity; too flexible and no one really uses the privacy pools. ZK-SNARKs look impressive, but only 35% of coins are in privacy pools? That data is a bit heartbreaking. Just want to ask, are you privacy coin fans really using them or just holding and speculating?

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BearMarketBuyer

· 01-14 20:38

Monero has hit new highs, but liquidity is still locked up, which is quite ironic... Dusk seems to have really tapped into something in the compliant privacy space, and institutions are the main players.

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WhaleStalker

· 01-12 22:08

Monero has innovated this time, but the real winner might be Dusk.

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InfraVibes

· 01-12 19:54

Monero has hit a new high again, but the ones actually using it are probably still the geeks. Exchanges have already delisted it. Dusk's idea of "compliant privacy" is interesting—just trying to please everyone. Only 35% of privacy pools are used? That's not as satisfying as just using Monero directly. Once exchanges delist it, liquidity disappears—that's the inherent curse of privacy coins. Feeling like a big zero coin is still too much hassle, but making it semi-private instead of fully private actually makes it more complicated. Dusk wants to sell to institutions, but do these institutions really care about on-chain privacy? Monero's strong privacy features are indeed powerful, but it's heavily suppressed. Privacy and compliance are ultimately two different lines—can they really be balanced well? Monero has been around since 2014, and its core logic is about truly playing by the rules.

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GweiWatcher

· 01-12 19:54

Monero has been aggressive all along, while Big Zero Coin is playing flexibly. Now Dusk wants to take a middle ground... Basically, it's trying to please both sides, but it seems like institutions are still on the sidelines.

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TokenTaxonomist

· 01-12 19:47

ngl, dusk's "compliant privacy" angle is basically just regulatory theater with extra steps... let me pull up my spreadsheet on this one

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FunGibleTom

· 01-12 19:44

Monero has hit a new high again, and the entire privacy track is soaring along. But to be honest, the regulatory hurdle still needs to be cleared; otherwise, all the enthusiasm is in vain. Dusk's approach to compliant privacy is indeed innovative, much better than Monero being directly delisted by exchanges. Institutional-level DeFi business might be happening right here. Why does it always feel like privacy coins and regulation are a deadlock... Wanting privacy but also passing audits, it's hard to find the right balance. The privacy pool in Big Zero Coin only accounts for 35%... indicating that people still care more about liquidity; pure privacy coins are hard to sell.

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FloorPriceNightmare

· 01-12 19:37

Monero hits a new high again, the privacy track is really taking off Compliance privacy is the right path Dusk has taken, institutions are the real big money Liquidity being stuck is a serious flaw, even with privacy, someone still has to buy The 35% share of Big Zero Coin still feels a bit like a gimmick Regulation is a matter of time, better to find a solution early rather than fight it I think Dusk's approach is the future; privacy and compliance can be achieved together, which is the way to go Monero reached a new historical high with this wave of speculation, but in the long run, liquidity issues still loom

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WalletDoomsDay

· 01-12 19:27

Monero's new wave of highs has revitalized the entire privacy track. The compliant privacy approach indeed has potential. I think Dusk's logic has hit the pain point; institutions are the real big spenders. Monero is absolutely amazing. If exchanges delist it, liquidity is directly cut off—no matter how strong it is, it's useless. That 35% privacy pool share in Big Zero Coin... well, it sounds a bit awkward. What I truly believe in is the balance between compliance and privacy. The future depends on who can break the deadlock first.

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0xTherapist

· 01-12 19:26

Monero's rapid surge is indeed impressive, but the issue of liquidity being locked up is really awkward. I'm interested in Dusk's approach to compliant privacy; it's definitely better than being delisted.

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