1 day ago
9
TLDR
- ZCash surged 861% in 2025, leading all tokens with a final market cap of $8.7 billion.
- Privacy tokens dominated, with Monero rising 123%, Beldex 24%, and Dash 12%, despite a weak altcoin market.
- Gold-backed tokens gained traction, as PAX Gold and Tether Gold rose 67% and 66%, respectively.
- Utility tokens performed well, with WhiteBIT up 131% and OKB up 118%, driven by increased platform engagement.
- Bitcoin Cash and BNB retained strong valuations, closing at $11.9B and $118B, despite lower percentage growth.
Privacy and gold-backed tokens saw price increases in 2025, while most altcoins faced a difficult market environment. ZCash topped the yearly gains list with +861%, followed by WhiteBIT, Monero, and OKB.
ZCash, Monero, and Dash Push Privacy Narrative Forward
According to a post on X by CryptoRank.io, ZCash (ZEC) posted the strongest gain of 2025, rising 861% and closing with a market capitalization of $8.7 billion. The token’s sharp increase separated it from the rest of the list, showing extreme growth across the year.
2025 was a tough year for altcoins, but a few managed to perform despite the market turbulence
Privacy narrative turned out to be the strongest one, led by $ZEC (+861%), $XMR (+123%), amd $DASH (+12%)..
What narrative do you think will shape 2026? pic.twitter.com/1GdlOOCsEL
— CryptoRank.io (@CryptoRank_io) January 3, 2026
Monero (XMR), another privacy-based asset, followed with a 123% increase and reached a market cap of $8 billion. Dash (DASH) also grew 12% in 2025, closing the year at $530 million in market value. Privacy-focused Beldex rose 24%, recording a final valuation of $740 million.
The privacy narrative continued to gain traction despite weak altcoin performance in the market throughout the year. “Privacy tokens clearly stood out in 2025,” stated the CryptoRank.io year-end report. ZCash was the only token among the top ten to exceed 800% in annual growth. Monero and Dash maintained steady upward momentum, and their market caps reflect sustained investor interest. Beldex added another privacy-focused asset to the list of winners.
Gold-Backed and Utility Tokens Record Strong Annual Growth
PAX Gold (PAXG) grew by 67% in 2025 and ended the year with a $1.6 billion market capitalization. Tether Gold (XAUT) followed closely, rising 66% and closing at $2.3 billion in total market value. These tokens provided alternative exposure to gold prices while maintaining crypto infrastructure.
Their gains suggest strong performance compared to the broader altcoin market, which saw widespread stagnation. CryptoRank.io tracked these assets due to their market cap remaining over $500 million. OKB, the utility token of the OKX exchange, rose 118% in 2025 and reached $2.2 billion in market capitalization.
WhiteBIT Token (WBT) ended the year with a 131% gain and a final market value of $12.1 billion. These tokens are linked to centralized platforms and benefit from continued user engagement. “WBT’s performance reflects growing exchange usage,” reported CryptoRank.io in the full-year data summary. Both tokens remained above the $2 billion threshold throughout the year.
Bitcoin Cash and BNB Hold High Valuations into 2026
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) increased by 37% in 2025 and posted a final market value of $11.9 billion. The asset maintained relevance in a competitive space and showed consistent demand throughout the year. Binance Coin (BNB) gained 22% and recorded the largest market cap on the list, closing at $118 billion.
Despite its smaller growth rate, BNB remained one of the most valued assets overall. It continued to dominate exchange-linked utility tokens. The combined performance of these ten tokens showed resilience during a challenging market year.
Only assets with more than $500 million in market cap were included in the dataset. Privacy and gold-backed tokens posted the highest percentage increases in 2025. Exchange-linked utility tokens maintained strong momentum through user participation and platform volume.
English (US) ·