Grayscale Pledges US...

Grayscale Pledges US$1 Million to Zcash as ZEC and Its ETF Plunge

By José Oramas November 11, 2026 In Grayscale Investments, Zcash

Grayscale plans to direct US$1 million (AU$1.45 million) to Zcash non-profits, and the first US$400,000 (AU$580,000) has gone out as four equal grants.
The asset manager intends to put its ZCSH sponsor fee, for up to the fund’s first year as an ETF, into Zcash development, marketing and education.
ZEC fell 12.42% in 24 hours to US$1,026.81 (AU$1,489), according to CoinGecko, while ZCSH closed down 9.45% on 10 November.

Grayscale has committed US$1 million (AU$1.45 million) to non-profit groups that develop and promote Zcash, the asset manager announced on 10 November.

The first US$400,000 (AU$580,000) has already gone out as four grants of US$100,000 (AU$145,000). The grants went to the Zcash Foundation, advocacy group Pretty Good Policy for Zcash, Swiss-based developer Shielded Labs and Project Tachyon.

Tachyon is a protocol effort, led by one of Zcash’s co-founders, to scale shielded transactions with faster wallet syncing and more throughput.

Fee Pledge and ETF Outflows

Grayscale also intends to spend the sponsor fee it earns from ZCSH on Zcash development, marketing and education. That pledge covers all of the fee for up to the fund’s first year as an exchange-traded product. Grayscale says the commitment is voluntary, comes from its own funds and can be changed or stopped at any time.

The fund charges a 2.5% annual sponsor fee, according to its filing before the Zcash ETF listed on NYSE Arca on 25 August. Rival issuer 21shares charges a matching fee on a physically backed ZEC product it listed in Amsterdam and Paris in September.

Grayscale’s fund began as a private placement in 2017 and traded over the counter from 2021. It passed US$500 million (AU$725 million) in assets two weeks after the NYSE Arca listing, Grayscale said. ZCSH then split its shares three-for-one in late September, when ZEC traded near US$1,527 (AU$2,214).

SoSoValue data shows US$46.25 million (AU$67.06 million) left the fund in October. Another US$15.17 million (AU$22 million) flowed out in November up to 9 November.

Zebra Campaign and Zcash Invest

Grayscale launched Zcash Invest, a website and social media presence that teaches investors and advisers about Zcash and ZCSH. Alongside the platform, Grayscale opened a national advertising campaign with a Wall Street Journal wrap and a new national ad.

The campaign will run across print, outdoor, digital, streaming and social channels. Its visual theme is a zebra, a nod to a Zcash community motif.

Grayscale head of index Steve Vanourny said financial privacy is becoming essential as more economic activity moves on-chain and AI makes it easier to analyse. He added that Zcash’s culture of innovation will help it face future challenges, including quantum computing.