Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
Friday's session has that vibe — a mix of caution and curiosity — as traders adjust their leverage and look for weekend trends. Bitcoin is still trading just above $100,900. XRP's chart is showing a tightening pattern near $2.19, repeatedly rejecting the $2.40-$2.60 range since mid-October.
In the meantime, Dogecoin is holding strong at around $0.164, after Musk's latest news made headlines. Zcash is surging — up over 17% in one day to $627, with a near-vertical recovery and seven green sessions in a row. All these moves together show that it is a week in which outliers are more important than the usual benchmarks. This makes it clear that the rotation story is now obvious for all the main crypto pairs.
TL;DR
- Zcash (ZEC) trades 1,296% below XRP’s market cap; the community bets on a "flippening."
- Tether adds 961 BTC worth around $97 million to its balance sheet, bringing reserves to $8.8 billion.
- Elon Musk secures a record $1 trillion Tesla compensation plan and Dogecoin (DOGE) mentions spike again.
Zcash now only 1,296% below XRP
According to a data snapshot from CompareMarketCap, Zcash’s hypothetical parity price is $8,143.37 per ZEC — or about 12.96 times its current price of $627 — if its market cap of $10.27 billion matched XRP’s current market cap of $133.3 billion, with the latter trading at around $2.19 per token.
This ratio has become a reference point for privacy coin advocates who argue that legacy payment assets, such as XRP, are overvalued relative to protocols that offer on-chain confidentiality.
ZEC's comeback in 2025 is undeniable. CoinMarketCap now ranks ZEC 13th overall, following a 17% daily surge to $627 and a 72% weekly increase. This surpasses every major asset except for a few select DeFi outliers. Since September, ZEC has risen over 700%, and year-to-date, it is up 1,236%.
Galaxy Research attributes the spike to a reemerging privacy trend visible in Google search data and a16z’s 2025 State of Crypto report. Both track rising interest in "anonymous crypto" and "zero-knowledge wallets."
Launched in 2016 as a Bitcoin fork, Zcash reentered the derivatives markets when Hyperliquid and Bybit added ZEC perpetuals, which fueled leveraged exposure to the asset.
Helius founder Mert further fueled momentum with his viral claim that 10% of Bitcoin’s market cap is a "reasonable lower-bound target" for Zcash, claiming that ZEC's ecosystem and utility are comparable to those of XRP and BNB.
As of press time, ZEC is trading at $627.13, while XRP is holding at $2.19, down about 11% over the past week and testing the $2.00 support area.
USDT issuer Tether buys more Bitcoin
According to fresh Arkham Intelligence data, Tether, the issuer of the biggest stablecoin, USDT, added 961 BTC worth around $97.34 million, bringing its total holdings to 87,296 BTC. At a market price of nearly $100,900 per BTC, this lot is worth $8.8 billion right now.
The wallet with the tag bc1qj remains the largest corporate Bitcoin treasury outside of Tesla and Strategy.
This purchase was made as Bitcoin slid to $100,941, down 8% for the week. Despite ETF outflows and cooling funding rates, the stablecoin issuer’s accumulation pattern persists. Tether has committed to allocating 15% of its net profits to purchasing BTC, which it frames as a hedge against exposure to the Treasury market.
Its moves continue to serve as a market compass for liquidity expectations. USDT’s $183 billion float and $139 billion 24-hour volume anchor most on-chain settlements.
By adding coins at these levels, Tether reinforces the idea that, even below $101,000, institutional balance sheets still view Bitcoin as grade-A reserve collateral.
Dogecoin supporter Elon Musk lands $1 trillion deal
Tesla shareholders approved a record-setting $1 trillion compensation package for Musk, but only if he raises the company’s market cap from $1 trillion to $8.5 trillion within 10 years. The plan was supported by over 75% of votes, cementing the largest executive reward in U.S. corporate history. The package is tied directly to the rollout of robotaxis and autonomous transport targets.
Earlier this Wednesday, Musk revived his signature crypto quip: "Time to send Dogecoin to the moon." DOGE responded with a 1.7% increase to $0.1645, reclaiming a $25 billion market cap and maintaining its ninth-place ranking.
However, the meme coin has lost about 10% in seven days, yet it continues to mirror Tesla’s media cycle, as well as Musk’s activity on X and SpaceX updates.
The link between Tesla’s valuation narrative and Dogecoin’s social momentum remains strong. Whenever shareholders endorse Musk's long-term vision, DOGE briefly recovers market share in retail flows.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov
U.Today Editorial Team