Unchained
Unchained
Laura Shin
Why the Privacy Coins Mania Is Much More Than Price Action - Ep. 945
1 hour 5 minutes Posted Nov 14, 2025 at 1:00 am.
Teaser Clip
Introduction
The reasons why Harry and Josh say we’re in a privacy “renaissance”
Why privacy matters, and how Harry first got pulled into the space
How zero-knowledge proofs and other privacy technologies actually work
Why Josh started Zcash and what his long-term vision looks like
The real-world ways Zcash is being used
How the Winklevoss brothers are backing the new wave of privacy projects
How centralized exchanges should support privacy
Why financial institutions are suddenly interested in privacy and why governments see it as a national-security issue
How Nym aims to protect metadata and network-level privacy
Why Nym has a token and what role it plays
What’s coming next for privacy tech and for Zcash
Whether Ethereum, Solana, or other L1s can realistically add privacy to chains that weren’t designed for it
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Show notes
In this episode, Josh Swihart, CEO of the Electric Coin Company, which created Zcash, and Harry Halpin, co-founder of Nym, join Laura to delve into why privacy coins have taken off, and why technology is suddenly at the center of conversations involving governments, financial institutions, and national security officials.
They discuss what’s actually driving the privacy coin renaissance, why transparent ledgers create risks far beyond user behavior, and how technologies like zero-knowledge proofs and mixnets are reshaping what’s possible onchain.
Josh and Harry also break down exchange support, institutional interest, the Zcash DAT, upcoming Zcash upgrades, and whether Ethereum or Solana (or others) can realistically add privacy to chains that were never designed for it.
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Guests:
Josh Swihart, CEO of the Electric Coin Company
Harry Halpin, CEO and Co-founder of Nym Technologies
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