Zcash Returns to 2018 Levels as Grayscale's ETF Comes Into Focus

Grayscale moves closer to converting its Zcash Trust into an ETF. In its latest regulatory filings, the manager aims for a listing on NYSE Arca around August 25, under the ticker ZCSH. The announcement comes as ZEC reaches prices not seen since January 2018.

Grayscale sets the fees of its Zcash ETF at 2.5%

Grayscale has filled one of the last empty boxes of its Zcash ETF project. In a fifth amendment submitted to the SEC on August 21, the manager sets the product fees at 2.5% per year. These will be calculated daily on the net asset value held by the trust.

The document also confirms the future product name: The Zcash ETF. Its shares are to be traded on NYSE Arca under the ticker ZCSH.

Grayscale, which has recently trimmed its altcoin ETF portfolio, does not disrupt the fund’s structure. Coinbase Custody Trust Company will remain responsible for safeguarding the ZEC, while Coinbase will act as the primary broker. Bank of New York Mellon will continue to serve as administrator and transfer agent.

Another detail of the filing attracts attention. Grayscale plans to use all fees collected over a period of up to twelve months to promote the fund and support initiatives related to development, marketing, and education around Zcash.

However, this is not a fee reduction for investors. This commitment remains voluntary and Grayscale may end or modify it.

August 25 approaches, but the listing is not yet secured

An 8-K form published the same day gives a more precise indication on the timeline. Grayscale expects the trust shares to start trading on NYSE Arca around August 25, 2026.

The renaming to The Zcash ETF should happen around the same time. However, the date is not guaranteed. The manager specifies that the listing remains subject to necessary regulatory approvals and could be delayed or not occur at all.

If successful, this vehicle would become the first American ETF offering direct exposure to ZEC. Grayscale has indeed accelerated its filing pace in recent weeks, with several successive amendments since late July.

The product’s principle remains simple: the trust directly holds ZEC and its shares give investors exposure to their value evolution without requiring them to buy or hold the cryptocurrency themselves.

ZEC returns to prices not seen since 2018

While Grayscale fine-tunes its application, the market has already reacted.

On Saturday, ZEC surpassed 800 dollars for the first time since January 2018. The token rose up to around 857 dollars during the session before dropping below that peak. Over 24 hours, its increase was around 34%, making it one of the top performers in the top 100 according to BeInCrypto.

The movement is all the more remarkable because Zcash emerges from a turbulent period. In June, the revelation of a critical flaw in one of its shielded pools had caused a sharp drop in ZEC before an emergency fix was deployed.

The return above 800 dollars thus erases much of that shock and brings the token back to a zone it had not visited in more than eight years.

This does not mean, however, that Zcash has regained its all-time highs. Its record still dates back to October 2016, around 3,191 dollars. Even after its recent surge, ZEC remains far from that level.

The next step will now depend on Grayscale. The Ironwood update had already put Zcash back in the spotlight. A ZCSH listing on NYSE Arca would this time add a real access channel for traditional investors. It remains to be seen whether this interest will translate into sustained flows once the announcement effect has passed.