Privacy Coin FIRO Jumps 55% Ahead of Upgrade

FIRO, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency formerly known as Zcoin, has seen a notable price surge over the past 24 hours. Notably, the coin is riding a wave of renewed attention fueled by a significant protocol upgrade. 

According to data from CoinGecko, FIRO recorded an over 55% increase in its price in a single day. The price surge saw the coin hit a four-year high of $5.33, with its market cap rising above $100 million. 

Notably, the coin has experienced a mild correction and is currently trading at $5.07 at press time. However, it is still up 46%, more than the broader cryptocurrency market, which is down 0.4% at the time of writing. 

FIRO Surges Ahead of Hard Fork

The biggest catalyst for FIRO’s recent price surge is the ecosystem’s upcoming hard fork. The upgrade, which is scheduled for November 19, 2025, at block 1,205,100, introduces new features to the Firo ecosystem.

The hard fork will make Spark Names transferable. Spark Names are digital domains within the Firo ecosystem that allow users to anonymously conduct transactions on the platform. 

Previously, Spark Names functioned as private addresses used solely for wallet identification. However, with the upgrade, users can now trade these domain names within the Firo ecosystem, creating a “FIRO-native economy.”

The upgrade is also expected to lower GPU memory requirements for miners to support 8GB GPUs. Thus, drawing attention from miners and node operators who will need to update their nodes and masternodes before the hard fork. This reduction is expected to boost miner participation and decentralization.

Meanwhile, the recent rally builds on the momentum generated by Firo’s earlier launch. In early November, Firo launched its Spark Assets, which allows users to mint private tokens, including stablecoins and NFTs, that share Firo’s anonymity pool. 

Every time users create mints or transact with a private asset, they burn FIRO tokens. This system introduces a deflationary mechanism to the token. 

The launch of Spark Assets converts Firo from a private coin into a privacy-native infrastructure layer. With the FIRO token fueling this privacy-native ecosystem, demand for the token is expected to increase. Thus, it is unsurprising that the recent upgrade announcement sparked a major price rally, as investors’ interest heightens.

What Is Firo?

Firo, formerly known as Zcoin, is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency ecosystem that offers users complete anonymity on their on-chain transactions. The protocol uses advanced cryptographic techniques, including zero-knowledge proofs, to provide untraceable transactions. 

Firo’s core privacy protocol is the Lelantus Spark, which enables trustless transactions. It does this by allowing users to burn their existing coins and later redeem them for new ones without a prior transaction history.

In addition to its privacy features, Firo’s blockchain is secured by a hybrid Proof-of-Work consensus known as FiroPoW, and a system of masternodes. These systems help defend against 51% attacks while providing fast transaction finality. 

Interest in Privacy Coins Soars 

FIRO’s recent price surge comes at a time when interest in privacy coins is increasing. With rising concerns surrounding data privacy and digital sovereignty, investors are directing their focus to privacy coins.

Like FIRO, several other privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, such as ZCash, recorded similar spikes, as investors confidence continues to grow. According to CoinMarketCap data, the privacy coin market cap is currently sitting at over $69 billion. 

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