Starknet’s token STRK surged as traders linked its rally to Zcash’s privacy legacy, fueling debate over scalable private networks.
Starknet’s token, STRK, saw massive interest this week after traders linked its rise to the long-running privacy project Zcash.
The cryptocurrency has managed to hold on to some of its gains, but might need more than a narrative change to continue rising.
STRK climbed by more than 30% on Monday, according to CoinGecko. Volume also climbed past $800 million in a show of strong activity across exchanges.
The move came after comments from analysts who pointed to a direct line between Zcash and Starknet through their shared founders and their focus on zero-knowledge proofs.
Zcash has been part of the privacy sector for years. It uses early zero-knowledge proof systems to enable private transfers on a Layer 1 chain.
Starknet builds on the same concept but focuses on scale. It uses STARK proofs to verify transactions at high speed and this structure allows the network to process transactions while running on Ethereum.
Analysts say that Zcash supplies strong privacy tools while Starknet provides a fast system that can verify those proofs directly on-chain. This design opens the door for private activity that moves quickly at Layer 2 speeds.
Some traders are describing Starknet as a continuation of work that started on Zcash.
This view strengthened after users pointed to Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder of Zcash and StarkWare as a link between the two projects.
Comments from DeFi researchers added fuel to this idea. They argued that Starknet takes Zcash privacy and brings it into a programmable environment where apps and agents can run private tools natively.
STRK inflows climbed as a result, taking the asset up to rank second across all Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks in monthly inflows after only Arbitrum. These inflows show that there is some rising interest from traders who want to use the network or hold the token through new updates.
Zcash supplied private transfers for years but lacked the scale and programmability found in newer networks.
Conversely, StarkNet is built on STARK proofs and can verify the same privacy protections at a much higher speed.
This allows users to move funds privately across apps, games, agents and DeFi systems while keeping data protected.
Analysts say that this approach differs from tools like Tornado Cash because the privacy sits at the protocol layer and users do not depend on a single app or mixer. Instead, they can build private functions into any smart contract across the network.
Data from Artemis shows Starknet near the top of inflow rankings across all major networks.
Many traders see these inflows as strong support for the network’s development and long-term use. Starknet’s growth trends are also in line with general interest in Layer 2 systems that are focused on privacy and scale.
Trading volume for STRK nearly hit $500 million early Monday. It then continued to rise above $800 million on Tuesday, showing that traders were active throughout the week.
This level of activity helped stabilise the price after its initial rise.
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