Foundry is preparing to launch a Zcash mining pool in April

DCG’s subsidiary, Foundry Digital, announced it will launch a mining pool for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash in April, expanding beyond the company’s dominant Bitcoin mining ecosystem.

Currently, Foundry operates the Foundry USA Pool, believed to be the largest Bitcoin mining pool in the world by hash rate.

According to a Wednesday announcement, the new pool will target organized miners and publicly listed companies, offering compliance features, reporting tools, and operational infrastructure in the U.S. similar to the model used for Foundry’s Bitcoin pool.

CEO Mike Colyer stated that Zcash has become an institutional-grade asset, but the supporting mining infrastructure has not kept pace with the ecosystem’s growth.

Launched in 2016, Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that uses zero-knowledge proof technology, allowing transaction details to be hidden while still being verified on a public blockchain.

Zcash founder and Shielded Labs product director Zooko Wilcox believes Foundry’s involvement could help reduce centralization in the network’s mining activities and attract more new miners.

This move comes as privacy-focused cryptocurrencies are gaining renewed attention. Digital Currency Group founder Barry Silbert recently suggested that about 5%–10% of Bitcoin’s future value could shift to privacy coins like Zcash, opening new growth potential for the digital asset market.

Over the past year, the network’s native token, ZEC, has experienced significant volatility. Its price surged from around $50 to nearly $700 by the end of 2025 before dropping sharply below $200 earlier this month.

The Zcash ecosystem also faced internal turmoil when all staff at Electric Coin Company—the project’s main development entity—resigned in January following governance disputes with the nonprofit organization behind the project.

Foundry stated that the new Zcash mining pool is expected to start operations in April 2026.