Monero XMR
A cryptocurrency built so transactions cannot be traced. Launched in 2014 out of the CryptoNote protocol. Unlike Bitcoin, its blockchain is not a public ledger.
Three mechanisms in combination: ring signatures mix your signature with others so the sender cannot be pinpointed, stealth addresses create a one-time address per transaction so the recipient can't be linked to a public address, and RingCT hides the amount. The RandomX mining algorithm is deliberately CPU-friendly and ASIC-resistant, which has made Monero the obvious currency for cryptojacking — hijacked servers mine XMR, not Bitcoin. The same properties make it popular in ransomware and on darknet markets, and have led several exchanges to delist it under regulatory pressure. The developers argue that privacy is a legitimate property of money in itself.