Zcash Is The ‘Better Bitcoin’ Satoshi Couldn’t Build, Says Helius Labs CEO

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Zcash is apparently back and ready to snatch the crown that Bitcoin never quite managed to wear-well, according to Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz anyway. He says this isn’t just a random crypto hype cycle. Nope, it’s a “re-centering” of crypto around the basics of cryptography and user autonomy. Mumtaz told Messari’s “Fully Diluted” podcast (Oct. 23) that Zcash is “secret Bitcoin”-a privacy-enhanced, zero-leakage, full-stack design that Satoshi probably wished he could have shipped, but didn’t have the right tech back in 2010. Go on, Satoshi, take notes! 💻🔒

Zcash Proves Satoshi Right… Sort Of

According to Mumtaz, Zcash is essentially a “secret Bitcoin.” You know, like an encrypted version of Bitcoin that would have made Satoshi and Hal Finney do a double-take back in the day. In fact, they were so into the idea that they even posted, “If we knew how to add ZK proofs to Bitcoin, it would make it a better Bitcoin.” Of course, this was 2010, and, oops, they didn’t have the tech for it. But hey, now they do, and here we are. Zcash basically carries Bitcoin’s economic blueprint while ditching all the messy “probabilistic obfuscation” in favor of actual encryption. So, no more sleight-of-hand tricks. 🧙‍♂️✨

If you want to understand why certain Bitcoin maxis are violently coping and lashing out about a small 3B coin

they are threatened and have lost the plot

Satoshi in 2010: if we could add ZK to Bitcoin, a much better BiTC would be possible. Sadly, I don’t know how.

– mert | helius.dev (@0xMert_) October 21, 2025

Mumtaz has no patience for “bolt-on” privacy, and by no patience, I mean absolutely none. Privacy isn’t some feature you can just toggle on like a light switch. He insists it’s a system-wide design choice that has to be baked into every single part of the stack. Wallets, mempools, validators, you name it. Zcash, he says, does it right with its “shielded pool” approach, unlike Monero, which relies on “probabilistic decoys” (basically the crypto version of playing cups and balls 🥴). With Zcash, there’s no hiding behind decoys; it’s pure encryption. No tricks, just facts.🔐

The Zcash hype train has been rolling, and Mumtaz suggests it’s not just one headline that’s got people talking-it’s a perfect storm of better UX, a shifting regulatory landscape, and, of course, some good ol’ social media drama. Mumtaz mentions the new Zashi wallet as a turning point where users are actually enjoying the process-shielding stuff, sending private messages, tipping, living the crypto dream. 📱💬

Unfortunately, while everyone was busy chasing “weird coins,” Zcash’s market cap was still “pathetically low.” But now that he’s brought it into the limelight, it seems people are starting to notice. There’s still work to do, though. Like, it’s time for privacy to stop being a joke. Seriously. Why are people still getting locked up for working on privacy code, but scammers are out here sipping margaritas? 🍹🚔

Bitcoin, Solana And ZEC: A Crypto Love Triangle

As for the eternal question-why not just add robust privacy to Bitcoin? Well, Mumtaz explains it’s not that simple. Bitcoin’s governance is a bit like your grandmother’s knitting club-it’s slow, and no one agrees on anything. Plus, privacy needs more than a Band-Aid fix. Without the proper foundations, leaks will find their way in. It’s like building a sandcastle in the rain. 🌧️🏰

As for Zcash’s roadmap, Mumtaz is optimistic. He’s expecting improvements, like the Tachyon work from Sean Bowe, which will tackle “state growth” and clean up some of Zcash’s legacy tech choices. And let’s be honest-spammy fees and mining centralization could use a makeover. So, expect to see some action there. 🔨🚀

But the “Crosslink” hybrid PoW/PoS finality proposal? Not a fan. Mumtaz is all about simplicity and security, and introducing too many moving pieces only increases the attack surface. He’d vote against it unless it gets a serious overhaul. Better safe than sorry, right? 🛡️

Now, privacy. Again. Mumtaz insists it’s not something you can throw together halfway. He extends that to cross-chain liquidity too. Zcash on Solana? Well, once it’s there, you lose that sweet, sweet privacy until you move it back to the shielded pool. So, it’s useful for DeFi, but it’s no privacy utopia. 💸🚫

In this episode, Messari Research team sit down with @0xMert_ , CEO of @heliuslabs

They unpack:

• The evolving privacy landscape in crypto

• Zcash’s resurgence

• Solana’s growing DeFi ecosystem

• Regulatory and technical hurdles

– Messari (@MessariCrypto) October 23, 2025

Mumtaz isn’t one for crypto drama, but he acknowledges that the market is cyclical. The goal? To keep pushing things forward with solid engineering and practical legislation. Every cycle is an opportunity to raise the bar, even if the narrative does get a little wild. It’s on the builders to turn that attention into long-term progress. 🏗️💡

Asked about the 2030 leaderboard, Mumtaz played it cool. He’s not about to name names, but he does see Zcash alongside Bitcoin and Solana in the long run. You heard it here first, folks-ZEC might just be a contender. 🏆💰

At press time, ZEC traded at $267.

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2025-10-25 07:27