<b>Arthur Hayes</b>, the former CEO of <a href="https://www.cryptoknowmics.com/news/bitmex-founder-arthur-hayes-makes-strategic-move-with-altcoin-pendle/">BitMEX</a> and Chief Investment Officer of the family office Maelstrom, has issued a sharp directive to Zcash (<b>ZEC</b>) holders, strongly urging them to withdraw their assets from centralized exchanges (CEXs) and utilize the protocol's core privacy features. Hayes' statement, delivered via social media, highlights a renewed focus on <b>financial sovereignty</b> and the growing importance of privacy in the digital asset space.

The advisory comes as Zcash has recently experienced a significant surge, becoming the second-largest liquid holding in Hayes' personal portfolio, trailing only Bitcoin.
<h2>The Imperative of Shielding Assets</h2>
[embed]https://twitter.com/CryptoHayes/status/1988479315680297415[/embed]

Hayes’ core instruction to the community is to <b>"withdraw from CEXs and shield their assets."</b> This guidance is fundamentally about moving ZEC out of publicly visible transparent addresses, which are often the default on exchanges, and into Zcash’s <b>"shielded pool."</b> Shielded transactions leverage <b>zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs)</b>, which allow users to transact without revealing the sender, recipient, or the amount of the transaction.

By pushing users toward self-custody and active use of the shielding mechanism, Hayes is emphasizing that true financial privacy can only be achieved by taking personal control of keys and opting into Zcash's unique, built-in confidentiality features. Holding ZEC on a CEX defeats the coin’s primary value proposition, as the exchange maintains control and the coins often remain in non-private, transparent pools.
<h3>A Strong Endorsement for Privacy Coins</h3>
Hayes’ public advocacy and substantial personal investment in Zcash send a powerful message to the wider crypto market, particularly amid rising global scrutiny and regulatory pressure on digital assets. He is not just bullish on the price of ZEC—he has targeted the coin to reach unprecedented values—but also on the long-term utility of protocols designed to protect user confidentiality in an increasingly surveillance-prone financial world.

The call to move to self-custody reflects a concern that centralized platforms may be forced to comply with future regulations that restrict or compromise the privacy features of coins like Zcash. By ensuring ZEC is shielded and held privately, investors are taking a proactive step toward maintaining <b>financial autonomy</b> regardless of regulatory shifts.

Arthur Hayes Calls for Zcash Self-Custody and Privacy Utilization

Crypto executive Arthur Hayes advises Zcash (ZEC) holders to withdraw their coins from centralized exchanges and utilize the protocol's privacy features.

Arthur Hayes Calls for Zcash Self-Custody and Privacy Utilization

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