Zcash-led quantum-resistant tokens outperformed Bitcoin in May

Binance Research reported that a basket of quantum-resistant cryptocurrencies outperformed Bitcoin by 59.3% in May. Zcash led the group, rising above $690 in mid-May and briefly becoming the ninth-largest cryptocurrency by market value.

The wider crypto market weakened in May. Total market capitalization fell 3.3% to $2.55 trillion and Bitcoin declined about 4.8%. Binance Research linked the slide to rising real interest rates tied to a supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and to hawkish Federal Reserve signals.

The quantum-resistance basket was up 26.3% year-to-date and outpaced Bitcoin by 59.3% for the month, the report showed. Zcash represented roughly 88% of the basket’s weight, with Algorand and Starknet accounting for most of the remainder.

At the Consensus Miami conference, Josh Swihart, CEO of the Zcash Open Development Lab, announced plans to ship quantum-recoverable wallets within a month and to target full post-quantum status in 12 to 18 months. Binance Research identified Swihart’s timeline as a concrete technical milestone associated with ZEC’s mid-May rally.

Algorand drew attention earlier in the year after Google highlighted its post-quantum architecture, and Starknet adopted post-quantum approaches at its base layer. Binance Research reported that the quantum threat has moved into the considerations of larger allocators.

ZEC cooled after its mid-May peak. Over the past month ZEC fell about 31% to near $423 and ranked around the 15th-largest token by market value, remaining ahead of Cardano.

Binance Research also noted $2.43 billion in outflows from Bitcoin spot ETFs in May, citing SoSoValue data. The research unit noted that Bitcoin tested its 200-day moving average and failed to hold short-term holder realized price levels during the month.

Binance Research highlighted that the basket’s heavy concentration in Zcash makes ZEC price swings the main driver of the theme’s performance, and listed upcoming wallet releases, protocol upgrades and macro data as items to watch for future flows.