Foundry Builds Zcash Mining Pool for Institutional Miners

Foundry Digital announced Tuesday it will launch a zcash mining pool in April 2026. The pool targets institutional and publicly traded miners seeking compliance-focused infrastructure for privacy coin mining. US-based. Built for scale.

The zcash mining pool runs on the same infrastructure powering Foundry USA Pool, one of Bitcoin’s largest mining operations by hashrate. Foundry said the service includes reporting tools and payout systems designed for institutional operational requirements. That’s the pitch: privacy mining with institutional compliance built in.

“Zcash addresses something we believe is genuinely important: the idea that financial privacy is foundational to economic freedom, and that privacy and compliance can coexist,” a Foundry spokesperson told Cointelegraph. They added: “When institutional and public miners can mine Zcash through infrastructure built to their standards, it brings new hashrate to the network and strengthens its security.”

Foundry’s betting institutional miners want exposure to privacy coins. Question is whether compliance infrastructure attracts the hashrate.

## What Makes This Zcash Mining Pool Different?

Zcash launched in 2016 as a privacy-focused cryptocurrency using zero-knowledge proofs—specifically zk-SNARKs—to enable optional “shielded” transactions. Users can send transactions without publicly revealing wallet addresses or amounts. The network’s based on Bitcoin’s codebase but adds the privacy layer on top.

Mining pools let multiple miners combine computing power and share block rewards. Increases payout consistency. Standard model across proof-of-work chains.

Foundry’s angle: build institutional-grade infrastructure for a privacy coin that’s seen explosive retail interest but limited institutional mining participation. The company was founded in 2019 and runs one of Bitcoin’s largest pools. Now expanding beyond BTC.

Timing matters. Privacy coins attracted serious attention in 2025. Industry figures including Arthur Hayes, Naval Ravikant, and Mert Mumtaz discussed Zcash publicly, driving interest in the network and its native token ZEC. That commentary helped fuel a rally.

ZEC ripped nearly 600% over the past year. Price climbed from below $35 in March 2025 to $698.87 on November 16, 2025, per CoinGecko data. Peak euphoria.

Then reality. The token crashed 58.7% year-to-date, falling from roughly $512 on January 1 to around $212 at press time. Classic crypto volatility. Privacy narrative drove the rally. Profit-taking and broader market weakness drove the dump.

## Mining Concentration Remains High

Despite renewed interest in Zcash, mining activity stays concentrated among a handful of pools. Poolbay data shows ViaBTC controls about 31.7% of total hashrate. F2Pool holds roughly 15.8%. Smaller shares distributed across 2Miners and Antpool.

That concentration creates opportunity for Foundry. Adding a US-based, compliance-focused zcash mining pool could pull institutional hashrate from existing pools or bring new miners into the network. The company expects operations to begin in April 2026.

The announcement came days after developers who previously worked at Electric Coin Company raised over $25 million to continue developing a privacy-focused wallet for Zcash. Separate effort, same ecosystem momentum.

Foundry’s move reflects broader institutional interest in privacy technology. Not just coins—infrastructure. Mining pools, wallets, compliance tools. The stack required for institutions to touch privacy assets without regulatory blowback.

I’ve seen this playbook before. Institutions want exposure but need the compliance wrapper. Foundry’s building that wrapper for Zcash mining. Whether it attracts meaningful hashrate depends on sustained institutional demand for privacy coin exposure.

## What’s Next for Institutional Zcash Mining

April 2026 launch timeline gives Foundry roughly 14 months to finalize infrastructure and sign institutional clients. The pool’s success hinges on two factors: ZEC price stability and regulatory clarity around privacy coin mining in the US.

Price crashed 58% year-to-date. That kills miner economics if it continues. Mining hardware costs don’t drop with token prices. Foundry needs ZEC above certain profitability thresholds to make institutional mining viable.

Regulatory uncertainty around privacy coins remains. Zcash uses optional privacy—transactions can be transparent or shielded. That optionality might provide regulatory breathing room compared to mandatory-privacy coins like Monero. But US policy on privacy crypto stays unclear.

Foundry’s betting compliance-focused infrastructure solves the regulatory concern. Reporting tools, US-based operations, institutional-grade transparency on miner side even while mining a privacy asset. Bold strategy.

For now, Zcash mining stays concentrated among a few pools, mostly offshore. Foundry’s zcash mining pool could shift that distribution if institutions bite. First major test of institutional appetite for privacy coin mining infrastructure.

All eyes on April 2026 launch.