Starknet is arguing that privacy in crypto must evolve beyond simple private transfers, positioning programmable privacy as the next logical step after Zcash demonstrated demand for confidential money. In a short video published by Starknet’s official X account on October 18, 2026, Starknet Foundation VP of Growth Damian Chen compared Zcash with Starknet and said privacy becomes far more useful when combined with programmability.
Chen said there are clear situations where privacy is necessary, but private money by itself has limits. Zcash has already shown users want to transact without exposing all of their financial activity publicly. Starknet’s value proposition, in his view, is taking that privacy model and making it programmable, allowing developers to build applications where privacy is part of the underlying logic rather than simply a feature of a payment.
“There is room for programmable private Zcash,” Chen argued. He also pointed to scale and liquidity as important pieces of the equation. Programmable privacy becomes more powerful when private transactions can interact with broader financial applications instead of existing as isolated transfers. The broader idea is that privacy could eventually be used across trading, payments, identity, lending and other smart-contract applications.
The official Starknet account summarized the concept with the line: “Zcash proved people want private money. Starknet makes it programmable.” However, the video does not mean Zcash itself has moved onto Starknet or that a full integration is already live. It is better understood as Starknet making the case for why privacy-focused assets and programmable zero-knowledge infrastructure could increasingly overlap.
Market attention on Zcash has strengthened as a result of Starknet’s commentary, even though the broader market has a mixed picture. Traders are watching for signs of increased development activity and adoption around programmable privacy, which could influence sentiment toward privacy-focused assets in the coming days.
