Zcash news

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss used Token2049 to promote a proposed spot Zcash ETF from Winklevoss Asset Services, filing an S-1 with the SEC on October 6. The fund, to be listed on Nasdaq under WINK, would hold ZEC directly and charge a 0.25% sponsor fee, far below Grayscale's 2.5% fee on its rival Zcash ETF (ZCSH). Custody would be handled by Gemini Trust, with Cypherpunk Technologies as the Zcash Ecosystem Partner and a non-binding $100 million investment interest from Winklevoss Capital Fund. Tyler Winklevoss highlighted privacy as a key theme, noting their early adoption of Zcash. The proposal marks the third US filing for a spot Zcash ETF, following Grayscale's launch in August 2026 with over $233 million in inflows. If approved, the lower fee could spark a fee war, though the concentration of sponsor, custodian, and potential buyer within the twins' orbit adds complexity. The filing is preliminary, and regulatory approvals and launch steps remain.

Grayscale says the crypto ETF market is entering a new phase as issuers move beyond bitcoin and ether and become more selective about which digital assets can support investment products. Managing Director Krista Lynch said the SEC's generic listing standards cover roughly 15 tokens, allowing issuers to choose products based on investor demand and conviction. Grayscale's Zcash ETF gathered over $1 billion in its first 30 trading days, placing it in the top 1% of ETFs launched in the past decade by first-month assets. The firm is also exploring tokenization, having filed to tokenize two of its 1940 Act products after the SEC introduced an innovation exemption, which Lynch described as a 'consolation prize' following the failure of the Clarity Act.

AI is making it cheaper to link public blockchain data to real identities, raising new financial privacy concerns. Michael Zhao of Grayscale Research argues Zcash addresses this with shielded transactions, which hide sender, receiver, and amount while still verifying legitimacy. Nearly 29% of all ZEC mined now sits in the shielded pool, and shielded transaction usage has grown sharply. Zcash's price surged about 2,300% between September 2025 and September 2026, and a Grayscale spot Zcash ETF attracted nearly $1 billion in assets within a month of its August 2026 launch. However, regulatory questions remain, as anti-money-laundering rules and MiCA push toward more automatic reporting, which may challenge Zcash's selective disclosure model.

Winklevoss Asset Services has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a spot Zcash ETF on Nasdaq under the ticker WINK. The proposed fund would directly hold ZEC tokens, charge a 0.25% annual fee, and use Gemini Trust for custody. Winklevoss Capital affiliates have indicated interest in buying up to $100 million of shares, though this is not a binding commitment. The filing comes 13 years after the Winklevoss twins' first attempt at a spot Bitcoin ETF. If approved, WINK would compete with Grayscale's ZCSH, which trades on NYSE Arca with a 2.5% annual fee. ZEC trades near $1,341 after gaining over 700% in the past twelve months, with a market cap around $22.3 billion. The preliminary prospectus warns of risks related to Zcash's privacy technology, including a 2026 Orchard security incident that was patched after an emergency upgrade. Several details in the filing remain incomplete, and no launch date has been set as the SEC review process continues.

A Winklevoss-backed exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking Zcash's price has filed a registration statement with the US SEC. The proposed Winklevoss Zcash ETF would hold ZEC directly and list on Nasdaq under the ticker WINK, with Winklevoss Asset Services as sponsor and Gemini Trust Company as custodian, charging a 0.25% annual fee. Winklevoss Capital has indicated interest in purchasing up to $100 million in shares, though not binding. The ETF would provide exposure to Zcash via traditional brokerage accounts, joining Grayscale's ZCSH already trading in the US. ZEC has surged over 735% in the past year, with a market cap of about $23 billion, trading around $1,354.

Winklevoss Asset Services has filed a registration with the SEC for a spot Zcash ETF, to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker WINK. The proposed fund would hold ZEC directly, with Gemini Trust as custodian. Authorized participants would create and redeem shares using cash, not transferring ZEC. The filing follows Grayscale's Zcash ETF (ZCSH), which saw $93.56 million in weekly withdrawals as of Oct. 2. ZEC prices climbed above $1,376, up over 5% in 24 hours. The application also names Cypherpunk Technologies as a network partner, following its $33.33 million Zcash mining fleet acquisition. The Zcash network awaits a developer decision on Oct. 20 regarding the NU7 mainnet activation, which would reduce block times to 25 seconds.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have filed an S-1 with the SEC to launch a spot Zcash ETF, which would hold ZEC directly and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker 'WINK' with a 0.25% sponsor fee. Gemini would serve as custodian, and Winklevoss Capital has expressed non-binding interest in buying up to $100 million of shares. The filing also names Cypherpunk Technologies as 'Zcash Ecosystem Partner.' This move follows Zcash's recent resurgence, including Grayscale's conversion of its Zcash Trust into a spot ETF and 21Shares' European Zcash ETP. The filing acknowledges risks, including ZEC's volatility and a soundness bug found in Zcash's Orchard shielded pool earlier this year. SEC approval is still required before trading begins.

Winklevoss Asset Services has filed for a Zcash (ZEC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) with a 0.25% annual fee, one-tenth of Grayscale's charge. The proposed fund, ticker WINK, would be listed on Nasdaq, with Gemini Trust serving as custodian. The filing comes as Grayscale's Zcash ETF (ZCSH) saw assets drop from $1 billion to $781.96 million between September 24 and October 5, due to outflows and lower ZEC prices. Investors pulled money in four of the last five sessions, with total outflows of about $97 million. Winklevoss Capital has indicated interest in buying up to $100 million in shares, but that is non-binding. The fund cannot trade until the SEC approves the registration and Nasdaq clears the listing. The sponsor, formed on October 1, has no experience running a pooled fund.

Winklevoss Asset Services has filed a preliminary S-1 with the SEC for a spot Zcash (ZEC) ETF, which would hold ZEC directly and list on Nasdaq under the ticker WINK. The fund would charge a 0.25% annual sponsor fee, with Gemini Trust as custodian and Cypherpunk Technologies as ecosystem partner. Winklevoss Capital has indicated a nonbinding interest in buying up to $100 million of shares. The filing follows the Winklevosses' long history with Zcash, including Gemini being the first licensed exchange to offer ZEC trading, and comes 13 years after their first spot bitcoin ETF filing, which was rejected in 2017. It would compete with the existing Grayscale Zcash ETF, the only current live U.S. spot ZEC ETF, which has seen significant inflows since August. Bitwise has also filed for a Zcash ETF.

Winklevoss Asset Services, LLC, founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, filed a Form S-1 with the US SEC on October 6, 2026, to launch the Winklevoss Zcash ETF, a spot fund holding ZEC directly, expected to list on Nasdaq under ticker WINK. The fund would use cash create-redeem, with custody by Gemini Trust Company and a partnership with Cypherpunk Technologies. This filing follows Grayscale's Zcash ETF (ZCSH), the first US spot ZEC fund launched on NYSE Arca on August 25, 2026, which amassed over $500 million in AUM within two weeks and charges a 2.5% fee. The Winklevoss filing does not specify fees yet. The regulatory path was cleared after the SEC concluded a review in January 2026 without enforcement action. An S-1 is a preliminary step, and potential conflicts of interest may arise given Gemini's role as custodian.