Privacy

Privacy coins and protocols obscure transaction details — sender, receiver, amount, or all three — to give users financial confidentiality that transparent blockchains like Bitcoin do not. They use techniques such as ring signatures, zero-knowledge proofs, and MimbleWimble.

The category includes Monero and Zcash, MimbleWimble chains (Grin, Beam), and older privacy-focused networks. Privacy coins face heightened regulatory scrutiny and exchange delistings in several countries.