Privacy Coins Surge in 2026: 80% of the Sector Now Above $100M Market Cap

In 2026, privacy-focused cryptocurrencies have outperformed the broader market, with 14 of 18 tracked tokens now holding market capitalizations above $100 million and notable weekly gains across the sector. Monero, Zcash, Dash, Decred, Litecoin, and Pirate Chain have led the advance, with Monero’s valuation near $12.9 billion and Pirate Chain's ARRR jumping about 168% over seven days. Regulatory shifts in the EU and Dubai, along with growing concerns over on-chain surveillance, have coincided with rising demand for privacy technologies like Ring Signatures, Stealth Addresses, zk-SNARKs, and MimbleWimble.