European asset manager 21shares has launched the region’s first exchange-traded product linked to Zcash, expanding the privacy coin’s reach into regulated markets following its strong performance over the past year.
On Tuesday, 21 shares listed its physically backed Zcash ETP on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, allowing investors to gain exposure to ZEC through brokerage accounts without holding the cryptocurrency directly.
The asset manager also launched an ETP tracking ETHFI, the governance and utility token of Ether.fi, a decentralized finance protocol that provides staking and other crypto-based financial services. The ETHFI product is physically backed and traded on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam.
Both ETPEs carry a 2.5% annual management fee, which is higher than what many bitcoin and ether investment products in Europe charge.
The ZCash ETP follows the arrival in the US of the grayscale ZCash ETF, which trades on the NYSE Arca under the ticker ZCSH. The addition of Zcash products in the US and Europe reflects growing institutional interest in the privacy currency.
Related: Dragonfly’s Qureshi calls for Zcash dev fund to close after 2028
Zcash’s rally puts bitcoin comparisons back into focus
According to CoinMarketCap, Zcash has recently surpassed $1,500 and gained nearly 1,100% over the past year, after emerging as one of the crypto market’s standout performers. Information.
The rally brought renewed attention to ZCash’s potential as a Bitcoin (BTC) alternative. Jack Pandle, head of Grayscale Research, argued that Zcash could benefit from “second-mover advantages” that could help it overcome bitcoin’s inherent network effects, something previous alternatives like Litecoin (LTC) have struggled to do.
Interest in Zcash has also spread to the mining sector. Fortitude Digital Mining told Cointelegraph that it has mined about 28% of all ZEC produced in the first half of 2026, reflecting the scale of its operations on the network. The company said its focus on Zcash is based on its proof-of-work model, capped supply and privacy features.
Related: Zcash’s Ironwood upgrade faces possible delays due to infrastructure preparations
