Why Zcash Users Should Consider XRP’s Upcoming Privacy Feature Following 36% ZEC Crash

An XRPL validator has urged a shift to the XRP Ledger’s upcoming privacy features following Zcash’s 36% crash amid double-spend concerns.

Vet, an outspoken XRP Ledger (XRPL) validator, has urged fleeing Zcash users to consider the XRPL, which is currently working on its own privacy features. This comes as Zcash sees a departure of network participants after a market crash caused by a protocol issue. 

Key Points

• Zcash has fallen over 36% to $338, wiping billions in value after a critical protocol flaw surfaced.
• The Orchard pool bug could have allowed undetectable double-spending or hidden inflation within Zcash’s private system.
• Developers patched the issue, but the market has already taken the damage.
• XRPL validator Vet urged fleeing Zcash users to consider XRP, pointing to its upcoming privacy-focused features.
• XRPL’s XLS-0096 proposal introduces confidential token transfers using encryption and ZKPs.
• The feature remains in development as XRPL targets institutional adoption with privacy.

Validator Urges Pivot to XRP After ZEC Crash

Vet specifically focused on users who depend on Zcash for privacy and suggested they move to the XRP Ledger, which is working on its own privacy features.

The validator shared this take on X, advising Zcash participants to shift toward XRPL’s upcoming privacy tools. His comments come at a time when trust in Zcash has weakened following recent technical concerns and heavy market losses.

Zcash saw a steep fall, dropping more than 36% in just 24 hours. The price fell to $338 at press time, down from about $640 only two days earlier. These issues come after a similar price drop earlier this year over resignations from its core development team.

The latest decline wiped out around $4.7 billion in market value, bringing it down from $10.36 billion to $5.66 billion. Meanwhile, trading activity surged, with 24-hour volume rising above $2.7 billion as panic selling and liquidations spread.

Zcash’s Critical Orchard Bug

The drop was mainly caused by the disclosure of a serious flaw in Zcash’s Orchard shielded pool, which launched in 2022. 

Security researcher Taylor Hornby found the issue, which could have allowed the undetectable creation of fake ZEC through double-spending or hidden inflation within the private pool.

Notably, developers quickly released an emergency fix and carried out a hard fork to address the problem. However, concerns remain. Because of Zcash’s privacy design, there is no way to prove whether the flaw was used before it was fixed.

Following the news, both large holders and everyday investors began selling. The reaction became even stronger because the issue appeared after a recent price rally.

XRPL’s Privacy Push Gains Attention Amid Zcash Turmoil

Interestingly, the XRP Ledger is setting itself up as an alternative for users who still want privacy but also want more clarity and control. The network is working on a proposal called XLS-0096, which introduces confidential transfers for Multi-Purpose Tokens.

This builds on XLS-33, which went live last year and created a simple way to issue and manage fungible tokens like stablecoins such as RLUSD, loyalty points, and tokenized real-world assets. 

Specifically, XLS-33 already includes features like transfer rules, authorization, and metadata, without the need for complex trust lines. However, all balances and transactions remain public, which limits its use in cases where privacy matters.

XLS-0096 aims to fix this by allowing balances and transfer amounts to stay hidden. It uses EC-ElGamal encryption and zero-knowledge proofs to protect sensitive data while keeping the system’s core rules intact. 

With this, validators and observers cannot see individual balances or amounts, but the total supply and issuer controls remain clear and verifiable.

Ongoing Development

The goal of this proposal is to make XRPL more suitable for institutions and regulated use cases. It combines privacy with features that still support oversight and compliance. This could attract banks and large projects that need both privacy and transparency.

The idea started from XRPL Standards discussions around mid-September 2025. Ripple researchers, including Murat Cenk and Aanchal Malhotra, have worked on its development. Currently, the proposal is still in draft form and continues to be refined.

Technically, the system uses compact sigma proofs and range proofs to stay efficient for XRP Ledger validators. The privacy feature applies only to Multi-Purpose Tokens and does not cover native XRP transactions.

At press time, the ConfidentialTransfer amendment is still under development and not yet active. It also works alongside other planned updates, such as decentralized exchange integration for MPTs under XLS-82. These efforts are part of a wider plan to grow XRPL’s role in institutional DeFi and tokenization.