Foundry Zcash pool captures 29% of network hashrate in month one

Foundry Digital, a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, has launched an institutional-grade Zcash mining pool and says it captured roughly 29% of the Zcash network hashrate within its first month of operation. The move has materially reduced ViaBTC’s prior dominance on the network and marks Foundry’s first expansion beyond Bitcoin-focused pool services.

According to company statements and block explorer data, the Foundry Zcash Pool mined approximately 2,344 blocks since it began accruing hashrate in early March; Foundry reports a 29.2% share while third-party aggregators show rapid accumulation beginning around March 4, 2026. The pool is offered with U.S.-based operations, KYC/AML procedures, auditable payout methodology and 24/7 technical support aimed at institutional and publicly traded miners.

Market data indicate a swift redistribution of mining power. Cointelegraph notes ViaBTC’s share moved from about 68.1% on Feb. 27 to roughly 37% after Foundry’s entry, and ZEC has seen pronounced price appreciation in the wake of the announcement. The reallocation of hashpower has immediate implications for block production, miner revenues and short-term price sentiment on ZEC.

Strategically, Foundry’s U.S.-based, compliance-first offering addresses a gap identified by institutional miners seeking auditable, regulator-friendly infrastructure on privacy-oriented networks. Zcash’s selective privacy architecture (zk-SNARKs enabling shielded or transparent transactions) positions it differently from other privacy coins for institutional custody and reporting. Nevertheless, the shift raises renewed questions about pool concentration and network resilience as hashrate centralization can affect governance and perceived security.

Analysts say the near-term outlook will depend on how many institutional miners continue allocating hashrate to Foundry, subsequent difficulty adjustments on Zcash, and regulatory developments affecting privacy coins. If current institutional inflows persist, Foundry could sustain a top-tier share, supporting further liquidity and acceptance for ZEC; conversely, rebalancing by independent miners or regulatory pressure could reduce the pool’s share over time. Market participants will watch hashrate distribution and on-chain metrics closely in the coming weeks.