About zkonomics
zkonomics is an independent research site covering Zcash, Monero, and the broader privacy coin market. We publish exchange reviews, jurisdiction-level buying guides, treasury data, and editorial analysis.
What we cover
Privacy coins sit at the intersection of cryptography, regulation, and personal finance. Most crypto media treats them as an afterthought or a controversy. We treat them as the subject.
Our coverage focuses on four areas:
Buying guides. Jurisdiction-specific guides for purchasing ZEC and XMR. Each guide covers exchange availability, regulatory status, payment methods, and step-by-step instructions. We maintain guides for all 50 US states, 5 US territories, and 39 countries.
Exchange reviews. Profile pages for exchanges that list privacy coins, compared by fees, coin support, shielded address compatibility, and US availability.
Market data. Live pricing, treasury holdings, and supply metrics for covered coins. Data refreshes automatically and is sourced from public APIs.
Research. Longform guides and comparison articles. Our cornerstone pieces include the Zcash vs Monero comparison and the US Monero buying guide.
How we classify availability
Every jurisdiction page labels coin access using one of five tags. The tag drives what recommendations the page shows, what warnings we include, and which tools we link to. The schema is deliberately narrow so the reader can compare jurisdictions at a glance.
Availability key
- Available. Available on local exchanges
- Restricted. Limited availability
- Workaround. Available via peer-to-peer only
- Banned. Not available on regulated platforms
- Unknown. Status unclear
Regulatory environments change. If a jurisdiction's status shifts between our update cycles, use the contact page to flag it.
Editorial standards
No paid placements. No sponsored content. No pay-to-rank in our exchange tables. When we recommend an exchange, it is because the exchange meets our criteria for that jurisdiction and coin, not because someone paid us to say so.
We do earn revenue through affiliate links. These are disclosed on every page where they appear and explained in detail on our disclosure page. Affiliate relationships never influence editorial ranking or recommendations.
All data claims are sourced. When we state a fee, a regulatory status, or a coin listing, we verify it against the exchange or regulator directly. If something changes and we have not updated yet, let us know.
Who runs this
zkonomics is a solo-operated publication. It is not affiliated with any exchange, wallet provider, coin foundation, or blockchain company.