Zcash climbed to its highest price in nearly eight years on Saturday, as traders responded to another step forward in Grayscale Investments’ push to convert its Zcash trust into a US exchange-traded fund (ETF).
New SEC filing details Grayscale’s ETF plan
Grayscale on August 21 submitted a fifth amended registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, resolving key open items from earlier versions of its proposal. This filing does not signal SEC approval but brings the Zcash ETF application closer to a possible launch. If authorized, it would be the first US-listed ETF tracking ZEC directly.
The latest registration sets the sponsor’s annual fee at 2.5% of the trust’s net asset value, accruing daily. Grayscale intends to rename the current Grayscale Zcash Trust as The Zcash ETF once shares are able to list publicly.
The proposed fund would trade on NYSE Arca with the ticker ZCSH. Coinbase Custody Trust Company is designated as custodian, with Bank of New York Mellon serving as administrator and transfer agent. Additionally, trading firms Jane Street and Virtu would act as authorized participants in the ETF structure, according to the filing.
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AAPLGrayscale’s revised filing outlines plans to allocate 100% of the sponsor fee it receives for up to 12 months on marketing and other initiatives intended to support the Zcash network, though the firm states this commitment is voluntary and may be changed or discontinued.
ZEC price rally accelerates following ETF progress
The market responded quickly to the regulatory update, with ZEC leaping above $800 on Saturday. This marks a return to price levels not seen since the early months of 2018, and in some trading feeds, ZEC briefly surpassed $830. Over the past week, ZEC gained more than 60%, extending an already robust rally.
Zcash’s surge follows a dramatic comeback from a significant security incident earlier in the year. Back in June, developers discovered a critical vulnerability in the Orchard shielded pool, triggering an abrupt sell-off. An emergency patch re-enabled network functionality, and a later audit turned up no other severe protocol issues. The network then advanced towards the Ironwood upgrade, aimed in part at hardening the shielded transaction system.
ETF momentum remains uncertain
Although Grayscale’s updated filing represents meaningful progress, it does not guarantee the ETF will ultimately be approved. In recent months, Grayscale withdrew several other altcoin ETF applications, including those linked to Cardano, Hedera, and Polkadot. This pattern highlights that SEC engagement on crypto ETFs remains a moving target, and actual launches are far from certain.
Against this background, traders are closely monitoring ETF-related news, as such headlines can rapidly alter the landscape for major altcoins. In a market where a single Fed decision or a sudden altcoin listing can change everything in seconds, jumping between various apps for charts, news, and portfolio monitoring has cost investors both time and returns. Increasingly, active investors are turning to privacy-first solutions like CryptoAppsy, which allow them to view real-time charts, receive instant price alerts, access coin-specific news, and follow critical macro data—all without creating an account and directly from a single dashboard.
Currently, the crypto market is pricing in Grayscale’s ETF progress rather than full regulatory approval. The next milestone for ZEC will be whether ongoing momentum from the SEC’s review can sustain the altcoin’s surge and keep prices near 2018 cycle highs.
