Foundry Digital Grabs 29% of ZEC Hashrate in Pool Launch

Alvin Lang Apr 14, 2026 07:04

Bitcoin's largest mining pool operator enters Zcash market with institutional clients, cutting into ViaBTC's former dominance as ZEC rallies 1,050% yearly.

Foundry Digital, the dominant force in Bitcoin mining pools, has muscled into Zcash territory with immediate impact. The company announced Monday that its new Foundry Zcash Pool has already captured 29.2% of the network's hashrate through partnerships with unnamed institutional mining clients.

"Institutional and public miners are seeking a compliant, purpose-built Zcash mining solution," Foundry stated, positioning itself as the regulated alternative in a market dominated by fewer compliance-focused operators.

ViaBTC's Grip Loosens

The entry reshapes Zcash mining economics almost overnight. ViaBTC, which Coinbase flagged as a network security risk back in September 2023 due to its hashrate concentration, has seen its share plummet from 68.1% on February 27 to just 37% currently.

That kind of redistribution matters for network health. When a single pool controls too much hashrate, the theoretical risk of a 51% attack increases—something institutional players and exchanges watch closely.

Foundry quietly began accumulating hashrate around March 4, according to Zcashinfo.com data, roughly a week before the company first announced its plans. The pool has mined 2,344 blocks since going live earlier this month.

The Numbers Behind the Blocks

Zcash miners solve a new block approximately every 75 seconds, earning 1.25 ZEC per block. At current prices around $366, that translates to roughly $458 per block reward—modest compared to Bitcoin but meaningful for specialized operations.

The timing coincides with ZEC's remarkable run. The privacy-focused token has surged 1,050% over the past year, including a 77.2% jump in the last month alone following Foundry's initial announcement. ZEC now sits as the fifth-largest proof-of-work cryptocurrency with a $6.2 billion market cap, trailing only Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and rival privacy coin Monero.

Why Institutions Are Interested

Foundry's pitch centers on compliance—a word that carries weight as regulatory scrutiny of privacy coins intensifies globally. The company already dominates Bitcoin mining pool operations and brings established relationships with publicly traded miners who face stricter disclosure requirements.

Whether those institutional miners will publicly acknowledge their Zcash operations remains to be seen. Foundry declined to name its partners, leaving the market to speculate which major players are diversifying into privacy-focused mining.

For Zcash, the entry of a major institutional player could signal growing legitimacy at a time when privacy features remain controversial with regulators. The network now has a more distributed hashrate and a compliance-oriented operator serving as a counterweight to existing pools.

• zcash
• zec
• foundry digital
• mining pools
• proof-of-work