Monero (XMR), the leading privacy-focused cryptocurrency, has surged for three straight days, reaching its highest level since April 2022. At its peak, XMR hit $216.3—marking a staggering 110% rebound from its 2024 lows.
The rally comes on the heels of a pivotal U.S. court ruling involving Tornado Cash, a crypto privacy tool previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department. In late 2024, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) had overstepped its authority when it sanctioned Tornado Cash. The court ruled that smart contracts operating autonomously could not be considered “property” and were not subject to ownership or control, placing them outside the scope of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Following the decision, the Treasury lifted sanctions on Tornado Cash, a move that energized the broader privacy coin market. Monero, which has long been under scrutiny for its anonymous transaction capabilities, was among the biggest beneficiaries. Other privacy coins such as Dash (DASH), Zcash (ZEC), and Horizen (ZEN) also saw notable price increases.
Despite facing delistings from major exchanges like Binance, Kraken, and Coinbase over regulatory concerns, Monero continues to trade actively on smaller platforms such as KuCoin, MEXC, and Bitfinex. The recent court ruling has sparked speculation that some exchanges might reconsider listing privacy-focused tokens in the future.
From a technical standpoint, Monero has maintained strong upward momentum, currently trading well above its 50-week Exponential Moving Average (EMA). The weekly chart shows a steady ascending channel, and technical indicators like the Stochastic RSI and Momentum point to continued bullish sentiment. Analysts suggest that a breakout above current resistance levels could push XMR toward the $290 mark—the high it last touched in April 2022.
As regulatory tides shift, Monero’s resurgence underscores renewed investor interest in privacy and decentralization, signaling a potential turning point for the entire privacy coin sector.
