India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU‑IND) has launched a fresh anti‑money‑laundering crackdown aimed at privacy‑focused cryptocurrencies. The move targets Monero (XMR), Zcash (ZEC), and Dash (DASH), which together represent the largest and most widely used privacy coins globally.

India Tightens Crypto Oversight

Details of the action were shared on Friday by market analyst MartyParty on social media platform X (previously Twitter), who notes that FIU‑IND has issued a directive to crypto exchanges registered in India, instructing them to immediately suspend deposits, withdrawals, and trading activity for Monero, Zcash, and Dash. 

At the heart of the regulator’s concerns is the technology underpinning these assets. Privacy coins rely on advanced cryptographic techniques designed to obscure transaction details, wallet balances, and user identities. 

Monero uses ring signatures to hide the sender and receiver, Zcash allows shielded transactions that conceal transaction data, and Dash offers optional privacy features. 

While these tools are valued by users seeking confidentiality, regulators argue they make it difficult for exchanges to meet know‑your‑customer (KYC) and transaction‑monitoring obligations. The regulator views these features as posing elevated risks related to money laundering, terrorist financing, and sanctions evasion. 

The latest directive applies to all cryptocurrency exchanges registed in the country, which currently includes crypto platforms operating in compliance with Indian regulations. They have been instructed to stop supporting the assets, including delisting, blocking all deposits and withdrawals, and disabling any associated trading pairs.

Monero, Zcash, And Dash Show Mixed Market Reaction

The latest action builds on a broader regulatory push by Indian authorities. In October 2025, FIU‑IND ordered internet service providers to block access to 25 offshore crypto exchanges that failed to register. 

By contrast, only a handful of exchanges currently remain fully registered and compliant in the country. Binance, Mudrex, Coinbase, CoinSwitch (CoinSwitch Kuber), and ZebPay continue to operate legally in India.

Despite the regulatory pressure, market prices for the targeted privacy coins showed short‑term resilience. Over the past 24 hours, all three assets posted gains after recovering from sharp losses earlier in the week. 

Monero was trading at $524 at the time of writing, up 3.5% on the day. Zcash also rebounded modestly, rising 2.2% to trade at $372. Dash recorded the strongest daily performance, jumping 11.6% during the same period.

However, the broader trend remains negative. According to CoinGecko data, Monero, Zcash, and Dash are still down sharply on a weekly basis, with losses of approximately 21%, 8%, and 20% respectively over the past seven days. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

On Wednesday, the Zcash Foundation announced a significant development regarding its ongoing operations: the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation into the public charity. 

This news has sparked a notable recovery in the price of the Zcash native token (ZEC), signalling renewed investor confidence, with trading volume surging by 39% over the past 24 hours.

Zcash Foundation Cleared By SEC

The Zcash foundation received a subpoena from the regulatory agency back in August 31, 2023, as part of a broader inquiry titled “In the Matter of Certain Crypto Asset Offerings (SF-04569).” 

After a thorough review, the Zcash Foundation was informed that the SEC does not plan to recommend any enforcement actions or changes pertaining to the organization. 

This comes amid significant regulatory changes towards digital assets under the Trump administration, including the appointment of the pro-crypto Paul Atkins as chair of the SEC. Similar enforcement actions against firms such as Uniswap (UNI), Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD) were dropped last year.  

ZEC Price Surges Near $440

In their statement, the foundation expressed satisfaction with the outcome, emphasizing their commitment to transparency and adherence to regulatory standards. They reiterated their focus on advancing financial infrastructure that preserves user privacy for the greater good.

Following this announcement, ZEC experienced a robust increase of 12%, pushing its price to approximately $437.75 at the time of writing. This surge comes after the cryptocurrency had recently dipped to a near one-month low of $363 last Saturday, illustrating a significant turnaround. 

However, even with this recent boost, the Zcash token still has a long way to climb. The cryptocurrency remains 86% below its all-time high of over $3,191, according to CoinGecko data.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com