Zcash Price Regains Footing Above $375 as Founder Responds to Michael Saylor’s Criticism

Key Notes

• Ben-Sasson defended Zcash’s privacy features while emphasizing regulatory compliance can coexist with shielded transactions.
• Open interest climbed 6% as traders added bullish leverage positions, with the long/short ratio flipping above 1.0.
• A bullish pennant pattern suggests potential breakout toward $730 if ZEC maintains support above the $272-$305 range.

Zcash

ZEC
$363.4



24h volatility:
0.5%


Market cap:
$5.96 B



Vol. 24h:
$1.28 B

regained footing above the $375 level on Dec. 5 after a heated public exchange between Zcash founder Eli Ben-Sasson and Bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor reignited market interest. The Bitcoin-maximalist stance led by the likes of Saylor, frames altcoins assets as securities vulnerable to market manipulation.

The dispute escalated on Nov. 16, just as Zcash briefly surged toward $700 in November, when Hunter Horsley, CEO of Bitwise, argued on X that Bitcoin maxis struggled to provide coherent criticisms of Zcash. His comments sparked heated debate that brought renewed attention to the privacy-coin.

On Dec. 5, Ben-Sasson shared details of his first discussion with Saylor, noting that newer project Starknet’s mission is ultimately to grow the Bitcoin economy through staking, yield generation and DeFi activity.

First conversation with @saylor:

I explained Starknet’s mission: Grow the Bitcoin Economy.

How Bitcoiners (and DATs) can participate by staking, generating yield in STRK, and working with that. As Bitcoin GDP grows, fees –> STRK validators –> yield to DAT stock holders. I… pic.twitter.com/rieBh55nf1

— Eli Ben-Sasson | Starknet.io (@EliBenSasson) December 5, 2025

Ben-Sasson said, countering criticism of Zcash’s design, emphasizing that privacy and regulatory compliance can coexist alongside shielded transactions.

Reacting to Saylor warning about too-rapid innovation, Ben-Sasson argued that a decade of research is more than sufficient for activation. He concluded by noting he still intends to raise quantum-resilience in future discussions.

Coin Glass data shows Zcash open interest rose 6% mildly exceeding the 5% spot gains, showing that traders are backing spot purchases with healthy leverage, in anticipation of further upside. The long/short ratio flipped above 1.0 confirming that the fresh leverage positions were predominantly bullish on ZEC price.

Zcash (ZEC) Derivative Market Analysis | Source: TradingView

Zcash Price Analysis: Bullish Pennant Points Toward a Potential $700 Breakout

Zcash is trading near $369 at press time, recovering from a sharp late-November correction while forming a bullish pennant on the daily chart. The pattern follows a steep rally from the sub-$100 zone in September and now points to a potential retest of the $730 territory.

Zcash (ZEC) Price Analysis | TradingView

However, Zcash is yet to reclaim the middle Bollinger Band near $501. Holding this level prevents a return to the lower Bollinger band and keeps the ZEC bullish pennant in play. If momentum holds, ZEC could retest $500 first, followed by a breakout attempt toward $730, if leverage inflows persist.

On the downside, ZEC’s bullish pennant fails only if price closes below $272, the lower Bollinger Band and macro trendline. Before that level ZEC price is likely to find significant support at the weekly timeframe low of $305.

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Ibrahim Ajibade is a seasoned research analyst with a background in supporting various Web3 startups and financial organizations. He earned his undergraduate degree in Economics and is currently studying for a Master’s in Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies at the University of Malta.

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