December 01, 2025

What’s Next for Privacy Season? w/ Joel Valenzuela | EPI 370

1 hour 26 minutes

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TODAY'S SHOW: In this episode of Monero Talk, Douglas Tuman chats with Joel Valenzuela, a blockchain advocate and business development professional for Dash, about the renewed interest in privacy coins, or what they call "privacy season."

They dive into the roles of Monero and Zcash, noting Zcash’s recent price jump and how it has reignited tribal debates. Joel argues that Zcash is now a stronger hedge for Monero than Bitcoin, given their differing approaches to privacy and governance. The conversation also touches on how holding multiple crypto assets shapes market psychology, contrasts Monero’s strict "private by default" model with Zcash’s more exchange-friendly design, and explores the shifting exchange landscape with platforms relisting privacy coins.

They discuss upcoming technical upgrades, including Zcash’s Tachyon and Monero’s FCMP++, and highlight how Litecoin leads non-Bitcoin payment volume while Monero dominates privacy-by-default transactions. The episode wraps up with price predictions for Monero and Zcash, along with a focus on the importance of real-world adoption, such as using Monero for everyday purchases.

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:01:20) – Privacy season and community optimism

(00:06:57) – Discussion on Monero “Street price” and centralized exchange impact

(00:09:29) – Legal and regulatory climate for crypto: coin listings, Trump, pardons

(00:15:43) – Zcash’s institutional lobbying advantage vs. Monero’s grassroots approach

(00:25:03) – ETFs as potential co-optation vectors; Monero as “last crypto standing”

(00:31:07) – Zcash roadmap, proof of work debate, shielded address adoption vs. transparent

(00:45:15) – Exchange relistings (Dash, Korea/Japan); changing regulatory risk

(00:53:30) – Hope for Monero relistings?; Sarai DEX, THORChain, and Maya Protocol

(01:01:27) – Litecoin’s MimbleWimble (MWEB); "Privacy Season" outlook

(01:11:10) – Ranking private coins by real usage: Monero #1, then Zcash vs. Dash?

(01:13:19) – Price speculation: Monero, Zcash, Dash, Firo, Ycash predictions

(01:22:40) – Closing remarks

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