Key Privacy Coins Show Strong Development Momentum
In an era where blockchain transparency meets growing demands for user anonymity, privacy-focused cryptocurrencies are quietly building momentum. According to fresh data from Santiment, the last 30 days have seen a surge in notable development activity among privacy assets, with projects like NYM, Dash, and HOPR climbing the ranks. This on-chain intelligence highlights a sector often overshadowed by meme coins and AI narratives, yet poised for resurgence as regulatory scrutiny intensifies on transaction traceability.
Here are crypto's top 10 privacy coin projects by development. Directional indicators represent each project's ranking positioning since last update:
— Santiment (@santimentfeed) December 1, 2025
1) @nym $NYM
2) @dashpay $DASH
3) @hoprnet $HOPR
4) @zcash $ZEC
5) @decredproject $DCR
6) @monero… pic.twitter.com/tJFVu5sC04
NYM Leads with Significant Development Activity
NYM leads with 43.4 notable dev activities, strengthening its Ethereum-based privacy infrastructure. Santiment’s methodology filters GitHub commits for quality and impact, excluding routine updates to spotlight genuine innovation. Leading the pack is NYM (NYM), which rocketed to the No. 1 spot with 43.4 notable activities—up from previous standings. Trading at $0.043392 with a modest 0.74% dip over seven days, NYM’s $57.2 million market cap underscores its Ethereum-based privacy layer potential. Developers are enhancing its mixnet protocol, vital for shielding metadata in decentralized networks.
Dash Holds Strong in Second Despite Price Volatility
Dash ranks second at 37.7 activities, advancing its privacy-enabled payments amid market turbulence. Close behind is Dash (DASH), securing second place at 37.7 activities, a climb from prior metrics. Despite a sharper 12.54% weekly slide to $48.41, its $605.35 million cap (rank 138) reflects enduring appeal as a privacy-enhanced payment coin. Dash’s evolution coinjoin features continue to evolve, blending speed with seclusion.
HOPR’s Rising Momentum Highlights Early-Stage Strength
HOPR climbs to third with 33.3 activities, signaling rapid protocol-level innovation in decentralized data routing. HOPR (HOPR) rounds out the podium at 33.3 activities, up to third. At $0.029835 and a 6.53% gain, its $10.17 million cap (rank 114) signals early-stage promise in protocol-level privacy.
Other Privacy Leaders: Zcash, Monero, Decred, and Dusk
Other notables include Zcash (ZEC) at fourth with 13.7 activities, holding steady amid a 19.97% drop to $35.49 and a robust $628 million cap. Decred (DCR) follows at 12.7, Monero (XMR) at 7.4—still a privacy heavyweight with $3.48 billion cap despite a 3.01% dip—and Dusk (DUSK) at 6.1. Lower ranks feature Conceal (CCX) with 3.03 activities but no price data, BelDex (BDX) at 2.9 amid AI-privacy crossovers, and Firo (FIRO) closing at 2.83.
The Significance of Development Activity in Privacy Coins
These shifts, marked by upward arrows for most, indicate a developer exodus from stagnant projects toward scalable anonymity solutions. Why does this matter? Development activity often precedes price rallies in crypto, as seen in past cycles. With global privacy regulations like Europe’s MiCA looming, these coins could shield users from surveillance while enabling compliant DeFi. Monero’s Layer 1 dominance persists, but newcomers like NYM and HOPR innovate on zero-knowledge proofs and incentivized relays, potentially disrupting centralized data brokers. As Bitcoin ETFs dominate headlines, privacy coins remind us: True decentralization demands discretion. Investors eyeing the next leg up should monitor these metrics—Santiment’s watchlist offers real-time tracking. In a transparent ledger world, the shadows hold untapped value.