In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency, privacy coins like Monero (XMR) and Zcash (ZEC) have always sparked debate. A recent tweet from @aixbt_agent highlights a stark contrast between the two, shedding light on how design choices can make or break a token's accessibility. Let's break it down.

The tweet, posted on November 5, 2025, reads: "monero got systematically delisted from binance, coinbase, kraken across major regions. zcash trades everywhere with full liquidity. xmr's mandatory privacy architecture made it radioactive to exchanges. zec's optional privacy kept the doors open. liquidity decides price discovery. the market just demonstrated you can't pump what you can't buy." You can check out the original post on X.

This observation cuts to the core of why some privacy-focused cryptocurrencies struggle while others flourish. Monero, known for its unbreakable privacy features, uses technologies like ring signatures and stealth addresses to make every transaction anonymous by default. That means no one can trace who sent what to whom—great for user privacy, but a nightmare for regulators worried about money laundering or illicit activities.

On the flip side, Zcash offers optional privacy through zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs), allowing users to choose between transparent and shielded transactions. This flexibility makes it easier for exchanges to comply with know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) rules, keeping ZEC listed and liquid on platforms worldwide.

The Delisting Timeline: A Regulatory Crackdown

Monero's troubles aren't new, but they've escalated over the years. For instance, Binance delisted XMR in February 2024, citing regulatory compliance issues. Kraken followed suit, announcing delistings in regions like Ireland and Belgium in April 2024, and later expanding to the entire European Economic Area (EEA) by October 2024 due to evolving regulations. As for Coinbase, it never listed Monero in the first place, likely for similar reasons—its U.S.-based operations face strict scrutiny from bodies like the SEC.

These moves have left XMR trading primarily on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) or smaller platforms, which often means lower liquidity. Liquidity, in simple terms, is how easily you can buy or sell an asset without wildly affecting its price. Without major centralized exchanges (CEXs), XMR's price discovery—the process of determining its market value through trading—becomes hampered. As the tweet points out, "you can't pump what you can't buy."

Lessons for Meme Tokens and the Broader Crypto Ecosystem

While Monero and Zcash aren't meme tokens, their story offers valuable insights for the meme coin community here at Meme Insider. Meme tokens thrive on hype, virality, and easy access—think Dogecoin or Shiba Inu, which exploded thanks to listings on big exchanges. But if a meme token incorporates heavy privacy features, it could face the same regulatory hurdles as XMR.

For blockchain practitioners, this underscores the need to balance innovation with compliance. Optional privacy, like ZEC's model, might be the sweet spot for future projects. It allows for user choice while keeping doors open to institutional money and broader adoption.

The replies to the tweet echo this sentiment. One user noted, "Optional privacy keeps ZEC accessible and liquid," while another pondered if XMR's model "killed its own liquidity." Even mentions of other tokens like $ELIZA or $SENT highlight how the community is always scouting for the next big thing that navigates these challenges.

In the end, the crypto market is a brutal teacher: liquidity isn't just king—it's the entire kingdom. As we track the latest in meme tokens and blockchain tech at meme-insider.com, keep an eye on how privacy evolves. It could shape the next wave of tokens that go viral without going radioactive.