Foundry Digital Expands Beyond Bitcoin With Institutional Zcash Pool

Foundry Digital, operator of the world’s largest Bitcoin (BTC) mining pool, unveiled plans to launch an institutional-grade Zcash (ZEC) mining pool.

The launch aims to fill a key gap in the Zcash mining ecosystem, the absence of a compliant, purpose-built pool infrastructure tailored to meet the operational needs of institutional and publicly listed companies.

Why it matters:

• A DCG-backed pool could attract institutional capital and hash rate, raising ZEC network security.
• The launch signals growing institutional interest in privacy-focused digital assets beyond Bitcoin.
• Zooko Wilcox, founder of Zcash and chief product officer at Shielded Labs, noted that the move could help “spread out” the network’s mining hashpower.
• He added that it may also attract new miners.

The details:

• In a recent press release, Foundry said that it expects to launch Zcash pool operations in April 2026.
• Foundry currently operates the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pool. It aims to bring the same standards of compliance, transparency, and professional operations to Zcash mining.
• DCG CEO Barry Silbert stressed that the need for financial privacy is expected to grow as digital assets become more intertwined with the traditional financial system.
• More than 5 million ZEC sit in shielded addresses, roughly 30% of the circulating supply.
• ZEC has dropped over 11% in the past week, according to BeInCrypto Markets data.

The big picture:

• ZODL, a Zcash development organization, recently raised more than $25 million from Paradigm, a16z crypto, and other institutions.
• Privacy coins face ongoing regulatory scrutiny, making compliant mining pools a potential bridge for institutional adoption.