In a recent tweet that's buzzing in the crypto community, Mert from Helius Labs shared a chart highlighting Zcash's shielded supply. Despite ups and downs in the market, this metric has held steady near its all-time highs. That's a huge deal because it represents billions of dollars in truly private digital money—the biggest pool of its kind in the entire crypto space.

For those new to Zcash, it's a cryptocurrency that prioritizes privacy. Unlike Bitcoin where every transaction is public on the blockchain, Zcash lets users "shield" their transactions using zero-knowledge proofs—fancy tech that proves something is true without revealing the details. The shielded supply is basically the total amount of ZEC locked in these private pools, hidden from prying eyes.

Mert points out that this resilience comes even before Ledger, a popular hardware wallet maker, rolls out support for shielding directly on their devices. Once that happens, expect even more users to jump in, potentially pushing that supply toward trillions in value. Privacy isn't just a feature; it's becoming essential as regulations tighten and people demand more control over their financial data.

Building on that, Mert followed up in the thread: with such a massive shielded pool combined with Zashi (Zcash's user-friendly wallet) and NEAR Intents, anyone can now settle transactions across different blockchains instantly—without exposing their entire financial history. NEAR Intents is a cross-chain protocol that makes swaps seamless and private. For example, you could convert Bitcoin or Solana assets directly into shielded ZEC inside the Zashi app, powered by this tech.

This is particularly exciting for the meme token crowd. Meme tokens thrive on hype and quick trades, often on chains like Solana where everything's fast but not always private. Imagine trading your favorite dog-themed coin, then privately moving value elsewhere without trackers following your every move. Tools like Zashi and NEAR Intents could prevent front-running or doxxing, keeping your plays under wraps.

As blockchain evolves, privacy tech like Zcash's is setting the stage for a more secure ecosystem. If you're into memes or just crypto in general, keeping an eye on ZEC could pay off—literally. Check out the full thread on X for more insights, and stay tuned for Ledger's update that might supercharge this trend.