What is PIVX?
PIVX is a proof-of-stake cryptocurrency launched in 2016 with no pre-mine. Its SHIELD feature, based on the Sapling zero-knowledge system first built for Zcash, lets you choose to hide the sender, receiver and amount of a payment, while ordinary transparent payments remain available.
Utility Lens
What PIVX actually does
Lets holders send payments that are either public or shielded, and earn rewards by staking or running masternodes.
- Real-world usage
- earlyStaking and masternodes are active, but we found little verifiable payment use, and exchange access has narrowed.
- Token necessity
- essentialPIV secures the chain through staking, funds masternodes and treasury votes, and pays the transaction fees that are burned.
- Decentralization
- moderateAnyone can stake, cold-stake or run a masternode and there was no pre-mine, though in proof of stake larger holders earn a larger share of rewards and votes.
- Track record
- longRunning since 2016; it retired its earlier Zerocoin-based privacy (zPIV) in 2020 and replaced it with SHIELD in 2021.
What it’s used for
Holders stake PIV, often through cold staking so their coins stay in a wallet they control, or run masternodes that vote on treasury proposals. Shielded payments are built into the core desktop wallet, and an open-source web wallet called MyPIVXWallet is also available. Trading is thin and mostly on smaller exchanges such as WEEX, MEXC and Nonkyc.io after Binance dropped PIVX in August 2026.
Role of the PIVX token:
Evidence of real use
- SHIELD enforcement on mainnet was scheduled for block 2,700,500, around January 30, 2021, with the mandatory v5.0 wallet. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Binance delisted all PIVX spot trading pairs on August 17, 2026. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Cold staking lets you delegate staking to an online node while only the owner can spend the coins. Source (opens in a new tab)
Privacy: what’s hidden, what isn’t
- Privacy model
- optional (user chooses shielded/private)
- What it hides
- For shielded-to-shielded payments: the sender address, the receiver address and the amount, plus an optional encrypted memo.
- What stays visible
- All transparent transactions, the transparent side of any move into or out of the shielded pool, transaction timing and fees, and staking or masternode rewards paid to transparent addresses.
- Reality check
- SHIELD is based on Zcash's Sapling design, but privacy is only as strong as the shielded pool is busy, and moving coins in and out can link them. PIVX is not listed on Coinbase or Kraken, Binance dropped it in 2026, and EU rules from July 2027 bar regulated providers from handling anonymity-enhancing coins.
How PIVX works
PIVX is secured by proof of stake: holders who keep coins staking take turns producing blocks and earn part of each block reward. With cold staking, a hot wallet that stays online does the staking for you, but only the owner's keys can move the coins. Masternode operators receive the rest of the block reward and vote on which treasury proposals get funded.
SHIELD adds zk-SNARK privacy adapted from Zcash's Sapling design. Transparent addresses begin with 'D' or 'S'; shielded addresses begin with 'ps'. A payment between two shielded addresses hides who sent it, who received it and how much moved. You can also move coins into or out of the shielded pool, and a viewing key lets you show selected transaction details to someone you trust, such as an accountant.
Development continues on GitHub, where contributors were committing work for a new testnet in October 2026. Even so, the latest stable core wallet, v5.6.1, dates from January 2024. The project's roadmap says a future 6.x release will add SHIELD staking, so shielded coins can earn staking rewards directly to a shielded address. As of October 2026, no release date for that version has been announced.
Key moments
- 2016PIVX launches with no pre-mine.
- 2020Remaining zPIV from the old Zerocoin privacy system is deprecated on December 1.
- 2021Version 5.0 activates SHIELD, Sapling-based shielded transactions, at block 2,700,500 around January 30.
- 2024Core wallet v5.6.1 is released in January; it is still the latest stable version as of October 2026.
- 2026Binance ends all PIVX spot trading on August 17.
Supply
PIVX has no hard cap. Each block creates 10 PIV for stakers and masternodes, plus 10 PIV per block set aside for the treasury and paid out at superblocks to approved proposals. All transaction fees are burned, which offsets part of that issuance; the project put annual inflation at about 12.68% as of January 2024.
Risks to understand
- Binance delisted PIVX in August 2026, leaving trading on smaller exchanges with thinner liquidity.
- Ongoing issuance with no hard cap dilutes holders who don't stake.
- Privacy is optional, so funds that never enter the shielded pool, and moves into or out of it, stay visible.
- Stable releases have slowed: the last stable core wallet is from January 2024, and SHIELD staking has no release date.
- From July 10, 2027 EU-regulated crypto service providers may not handle anonymity-enhancing coins.
PIVX FAQ
Is PIVX private by default?
No. Transparent payments work like Bitcoin. Only payments between SHIELD addresses, which start with 'ps', hide the sender, receiver and amount.
How do PIVX holders earn rewards?
By staking, either directly or through cold staking, or by running a masternode. Rewards come from new issuance, not from fees, which are burned.
Can I still buy PIVX on Binance?
No. Binance removed all PIVX spot trading pairs on August 17, 2026.
Sources
- PIVX SHIELD privacy protocol (opens in a new tab) — PIVX
- Introducing SHIELD, the new privacy protocol from PIVX (opens in a new tab) — PIVX
- PIVX 5.0 is live (opens in a new tab) — PIVX
- PIVX sustainable economics (opens in a new tab) — PIVX
- Development roadmap (opens in a new tab) — PIVX
- Cold staking (opens in a new tab) — PIVX
- Binance Will Delist ACX, HFT, PIVX, PYR, VANRY, VIC on 2026-08-17 (opens in a new tab) — Binance
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 (Anti-Money Laundering Regulation) (opens in a new tab) — EUR-Lex, Official Journal of the EU
Last reviewed October 20, 2026. Written by Dave McNaught. Utility Lens ratings are editorial judgments, not investment advice. Market data from CoinGecko. Spot an error? Request a correction.
Dave McNaught
Dave McNaught has worked in IT since 1999 and founded All Business Technologies (ABT) in 2003, a Boston-area firm providing Managed IT, Cybersecurity, Managed AI, Web Design and App Development. He publishes The Crypto Guide.