ZEC gained 23.33% in the period, while Monero and Zano fell less than Bitcoin’s 23.89% decline.
Privacy-focused tokens outpaced Bitcoin in the first half of 2026, with ZEC rising 23.33% while Bitcoin fell 23.89% over the same period. Monero and Zano also outperformed on a relative basis, declining 16.01% and 22.08%, respectively, compared with Bitcoin’s steeper drop. The performance gap suggests a stronger first-half showing for privacy coins (tokens designed to obscure transaction details) than for the broader market benchmark.