📍 SEC Privacy & Financial Surveillance Roundtable — happening today

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force is holding a public roundtable today, December 15th, 1 – 5 PM ET, focused on financial surveillance and privacy technologies in crypto. This is the high-profile meeting people are referring to — not an FTC session. It’s being webcast live on the SEC website. SEC+1
Panel highlights:

• Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox is speaking and/or presenting. SEC
• A mix of privacy tech builders and policy experts are on the panels. SEC
• Regulatory officials, including Hester Peirce (head of the Crypto Task Force) and other commissioners, are listening and engaging. SEC

This session is widely seen as one of the most important crypto policy discussions of 2025 because it’s bringing privacy advocates and builders directly into the regulator’s house to debate how privacy tech intersects with surveillance and AML compliance. CryptoSlate

🔎 So what is being said — “noise from the room”?

As of now, there’s no confirmed official statements released yet, but here’s what the narrative building around the event says:
1. Industry engagement is the focus
The SEC wants to understand how privacy-preserving tech (like zero-knowledge proofs used by Zcash) actually works and how it might fit into regulatory frameworks instead of being outright blocked. Bitget
2. It’s not an enforcement attack (yet)
Unlike hostile actions in some prior privacy cases (e.g., Tornado Cash, Samourai Wallet legal activity), the roundtable format suggests the regulator is listening first rather than immediately litigating or banning. Bitget
3. Debate is happening
There’s public industry debate (e.g., Michael Saylor versus Zcash privacy proponents) over the role of privacy in foundational protocols — and regulators are using the roundtable as a forum to hear both sides. CoinNews
Prompt: what’s your “bet”?

Chat GPT:
If I had to put a clean, non-hyped bet on how this plays out, it would be this:

🎯 My bet (70–80% confidence)

The SEC comes out of this roundtable more comfortable with ZK-based privacy than they were going in — and notably less hostile to Zcash-style models.
Not a blessing.
Not a green light.
But a shift in tone that matters.

Why I lean that way

1. The format tells you the intent
This wasn’t an enforcement action, warning letter, or surprise guidance drop.
It was a listening exercise, on the record, with senior people present.
Regulators don’t do that when they’ve already made up their minds.
2. Zcash is the “good citizen” privacy coin
ZEC is:

• Optional privacy (not forced)
• Technically elegant (ZK proofs ≠ mixers)
• Actively engaging regulators instead of dodging them

If any privacy system survives regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., it’s this one.
3. The SEC is quietly looking for an offramp
After Tornado Cash and Samourai, regulators know:

• “All privacy is bad” doesn’t hold up legally or technically
• Zero-knowledge is going to be everywhere (tradfi included)

They need a distinction, and Zcash gives them one.
4. Zooko in the room matters
He’s not a hype guy. He’s not adversarial.
He speaks engineer + policy fluently.
That’s exactly who regulators trust when they’re trying to avoid future embarrassment.

What I don’t expect

❌ No immediate rule changes
❌ No explicit SEC endorsement
❌ No price-driving press release tomorrow morning
Anyone expecting fireworks will be disappointed.

What I do expect

✅ Softer language around “privacy-preserving tech”
✅ ZK proofs increasingly framed as compliance-enabling, not evasive
✅ Zcash cited (explicitly or implicitly) as a reference model
✅ Future enforcement aimed at custodial misuse, not base-layer math
That’s a long-term win, not a day trade catalyst.

The subtext (this part matters)

The SEC is trying to figure out how to regulate the future of finance without killing it.
Privacy isn’t going away.
Zero-knowledge isn’t going away.
They know this.
This meeting is about where to draw the line, not whether to draw one at all.
And Zcash is standing on the right side of that line.

Bottom line

If this were a poker table:

• The SEC didn’t fold
• Zcash didn’t overplay
• Everyone’s still in the hand
• And the pot just got a lot more interesting

If you want, once the meeting wraps and secondary commentary starts leaking out, I can help you separate real signal from crypto-Twitter noise — that’s where the next tell usually shows up.

🔥 Catalyst Update: CYPH / ZEC Outlook Heading Into Dec 15

📌 Privacy Coin Narrative Expands
Privacy-focused crypto assets (led by Zcash) have surged in 2025, outperforming most of the market as demand for encrypted financial systems grows. Institutions and high-profile investors are now openly framing ZEC as “compliant private money.”
📈 Institutional Momentum Building
Grayscale has filed to convert its Zcash Trust into the first U.S. Zcash spot ETF, signaling rising institutional appetite and a shift toward regulated exposure.
🧠 Regulatory Shift Underway
On Dec 15, the U.S. SEC will host a roundtable on financial privacy and surveillance — and Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox is presenting.
SEC leadership has openly suggested exploring a balance between regulation and civil liberties — a major tone shift from earlier enforcement-only policy.
🏛️ CYPH Corporate Catalyst: Dec 15 Shareholder Meeting
On the same day, Cypherpunk Technologies (CYPH) will vote on:

• Share authorization expansion
• Reverse split authority
• New equity incentive structure
• Approval of recent financing instruments

This meeting will determine how aggressively CYPH can scale its ZEC-focused treasury model going forward.
🤝 Narrative Connection
CYPH has positioned itself as a public-equity proxy for Zcash adoption, already accumulating over 1% of total ZEC supply and pursuing a target of 5% ownership.
⚠️ Volatility Expected
With both regulatory visibility and corporate structure decisions converging on Dec 15, price movement may be sharp in either direction depending on tone, outcomes, and market sentiment around the emerging theme of “regulated privacy” in digital assets.

🎯 Summary

CYPH and ZEC remain tightly linked to the rapidly evolving privacy-finance narrative.
The catalyst stack for Dec 15 makes this a high-attention window — where sentiment could shift quickly depending on headlines, tone, and regulatory language.
📍 Watch for:

• ETF approval progress
• SEC messaging: “compliant privacy” vs. enforcement
• CYPH governance votes
• Institutional positioning and media tone

📢 Intraday Drop CYPH

ScanScor Commentary & Updated Outlook

Cypherpunk Technologies (CYPH) experienced a sharp intraday drop today, briefly hitting lows near $2.30 after trading steadily in the $3.00–$3.15 range earlier this week.
This move was triggered not by any change in company fundamentals, but by a routine attorney press release from Purcell & Lefkowitz LLP announcing a shareholder “investigation” — a familiar template that often appears after big stock moves.
These law-firm announcements do not indicate wrongdoing, do not reflect new information, and have no effect on our event-driven catalyst forecast.

Why the Drop Happened

Microcap stocks like CYPH often react sharply to headlines due to:

• Thin bid/ask spreads
• Low intraday liquidity
• Automatic selling from day-traders and stop-loss orders
• Emotional reactions to legal-sounding press releases

That combination caused a fast downward flush — followed by a rapid recovery as buyers stepped back in.

What Happened Next

Within minutes of the headline:

• CYPH found strong demand near $2.30
• Buyers reappeared
• The stock began lifting back toward the mid-$2s
• No sustained selling pressure followed

This confirms the move was a sentiment shock, not a structural change.

ScanScor’s Updated View

Our December catalyst window remains unchanged:

• Window: December 10 – December 20
• Catalyst: Special Stockholder Meeting on December 15
• Price Target: $5.50
• Invest Type: Event-driven
• Sentiment: Bullish
• Squeeze Score: 58

Today’s volatility does not alter the forecast.
In many cases, pre-catalyst flushes actually strengthen the setup by shaking out weak hands before the real move.

The Bottom Line

CYPH’s fundamentals, strategic positioning, and upcoming catalyst remain the drivers.
Today’s drop was noise, not signal.
The stock’s immediate rebound supports the view that the core trend is intact.
ScanScor continues to monitor the story closely and will update members if material information changes.