Foundry ZEC hashrate pool hits ~30%, centralization debate
Foundry Digital launched the Foundry Zcash Pool and its ZEC hashrate share quickly climbed to about ~30% of the Zcash (ZEC) network within days, raising a centralization debate. The pool began onboarding customers before the public launch and was initially set in motion on March 11.
Foundry says the U.S.-based service targets regulated institutional and public miners, aiming to reduce compliance and “counterparty risk” with transparent, auditable payouts. Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox backed the move, framing it as credible and long-term.
For traders, the key context is miner economics: reported miner revenue fell from roughly $45M at the start of 2026 to about $28M–$35M at the time of reporting. Meanwhile, ZEC hashrate stayed volatile and near ~1.2B EH/s, signaling tougher competition but weaker earnings for miners.
The update also includes infrastructure: Foundry rolled out Zcashinfo.com, a block explorer for real-time pool rankings, hashrate distribution, and network difficulty.
At publication, ZEC traded around $376, up ~4.4% in 24 hours, still trying to reclaim the $250 resistance area from late February. The main trading question is whether this rapid ZEC hashrate concentration stabilizes or worsens—potentially affecting both decentralization risk and future miner profitability.
Neutral
This is primarily a ZEC mining-infrastructure and decentralization-risk story, not a direct tokenomics change. On one hand, Foundry capturing ~30% of ZEC hashrate can raise monitoring concerns if concentration continues, which could be a mild overhang for sentiment. On the other hand, the article frames the pool as compliant and institution-friendly, and ZEC is also trading higher on the day (around $376).
Market impact looks mixed: miner revenue reportedly declined while hashrate remained volatile and competition intensified, which may weigh on mining-side economics rather than immediately forcing a price move. In the short term, traders may watch ZEC hashrate concentration and pool dominance for any acceleration; in the long term, the key variable is whether hashpower consolidation stabilizes or further increases toward higher-risk thresholds.