The yr 2025 will go down because the yr of digital asset treasury firms. Michael Saylor’s Technique and Tom Lee’s Bitmine have cast forward with Bitcoin and Ethereum-based methods, whereas a handful of other DATs have grabbed headlines.
Zcash (ZEC), the privateness protocol born out of a tough fork of the Bitcoin codebase in 2016, has been one of many huge winners in 2025. Distinguished business advocates have been touting the significance of privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies, and Zcash has been the outright winner when it comes to proportion worth positive aspects.
It appeared prefer it was solely a matter of time earlier than the ecosystem welcomed a Zcash DAT, and the Winklevoss twins beat rivals to the mark.
The Gemini co-founders introduced the launch of Cypherpunk, which has raised $100 million to amass ZEC for its treasury. Tyler Winklevoss mentioned the corporate goals to build up as much as 5% of the circulating ZEC provide. Thus far, Cypherpunk holds 233,644 ZEC.
Talking solely to Cointelegraph throughout the Bitcoin Amsterdam convention just lately, the Winklevoss twins mentioned their newfound concentrate on privateness was pushed by important developments in synthetic intelligence over the previous two years.
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“We’re large followers of Bitcoin. We’re hodlers, in fact, and in addition large followers of Zcash, which we view as encrypted Bitcoin. Bitcoin is the place you retailer your worth, and Zcash is the place you transact or spend your worth, and so we launched a DAT for Zcash, and we’re actually devoted to privateness and self-sovereignty this week to assist mainstream these concepts,” Tyler Winklevoss mentioned.
“The catalyst for Bitcoin was very a lot the monetary disaster of 2008, and the catalyst for privateness is the daybreak of the age of AI.”
Tyler Winklecoss stays satisfied that Bitcoin (BTC) and Zcash will coexist and complement one another within the years to return. Bitcoin may probably add important privateness features by adopting varied opcode modifications, however the twins mentioned that Zcash may act because the privateness layer for transactions, whereas Bitcoin would proceed to function an unrivalled digital retailer of worth.
“I feel the present world works with Bitcoin and Zcash. Ideally, Bitcoin would have added privateness within the early days, and perhaps it’s going to. I feel plenty of cryptos are going to be including privateness in over time. Bitcoin actually proved out the idea of decentralization and non-government cash in a giant manner. However there’s extra work to be executed,” Tyler Winklevoss mentioned.
Cypherpunk again in vogue
Whereas there was overwhelming assist for Zcash on X, critics have remained skeptical in regards to the newfound fervor for the cryptocurrency. The protocol has been dwell since 2016 and a few proceed to query the narrative being pushed by main business figures.
Cameron Winklevoss mentioned that they’d been “bullish on Zcash” since its inception 9 years in the past, whereas admitting that the protocol has hit a brand new inflection level in 2025, just like what Bitcoin has skilled at varied factors in its 16 years of life:
“Bitcoin’s had a few totally different inflection factors alongside the way in which. I feel the primary one we skilled was the ‘bail in’ in Cyprus in 2013. That despatched Bitcoin up, I feel over $100 in a really quick time period. I feel the world took discover abruptly.”
The explosive evolution of AI is now creating an analogous scenario for privateness protocols, with Zcash hitting its personal inflection level in latest months. Tyler Winklevoss mentioned builders and advocates concerned within the Zcash motion are rising more and more constructive about its future.
“The people who find themselves enthusiastic about Zcash are additionally OG Bitcoiners and cypherpunks who have been there within the early days. Zooko Wilcox, being one of many founders of Zcash, is an OG cypherpunk. I feel it was only a matter of time,” he mentioned.
“Crypto just isn’t a zero-sum sport”
The Winklevoss twins are famend as two of the earliest adopters of Bitcoin on Wall Avenue. In line with 2013 stories, the twins bought 100,000 BTC, which was valued at round $11 million.
With Bitcoin buying and selling round $120 per coin, it was a major guess on the long-term potential of the preeminent cryptocurrency. In hindsight, it’s going to go down as a life-changing resolution for the brothers.
Nonetheless, not like different early Bitcoin OGs who remained true to BTC and denounced all different cryptocurrencies, the Winklevoss twins have had a extra open thoughts to the myriad of protocols and tokens which have come to exist in Bitcoin’s wake.
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“We don’t view this as a zero-sum sport the place the pie is mounted. Bitcoin is clearly gold 2.0. It’s the soundest cash on the planet. However when Ethereum got here alongside and began engaged on innovating programmability, which I assumed was actually cool, Bitcoin didn’t wish to try this,” Cameron Winklevoss mentioned.
“I don’t assume that it’s taking away from Bitcoin truly, if it brings in folks into the house, let’s say like engineers who wish to work on good contracts in Ethereum who weren’t enthusiastic about it with Bitcoin, then that’s actually constructive, as a result of as soon as you purchase Ethereum, properly, then you definitely’re nearer one step nearer to purchasing Bitcoin,” he added.
The result’s an evolution that continues to assist the business innovate, and the utility solves urgent issues prior to now.
“Bitcoin clearly innovated with proof of labor. Ethereum innovated with programmability and now Zcash with privateness. I like that innovation, I wish to see that occur. I feel all of it grows the entire pie, together with the Bitcoin pie.”
Journal: 2026 is the yr of pragmatic privateness in crypto: Canton, Zcash and extra
