Grayscale is doubling down on Zcash — with cash and marketing — even as the privacy-focused token slips from recent highs. The asset manager announced a $1 million commitment to support the Zcash ecosystem, funded from sponsor fees on its newly listed Zcash ETF (ticker: ZCSH). Grayscale has already distributed $100,000 each to four recipients: the Zcash Foundation; policy group Pretty Good Policy for Zcash; Swiss-based Shielded Labs; and Project Tachyon, a scaling initiative led by one of Zcash’s co‑founders. The firm says it will reinvest all sponsor fees it collects from the fund into ecosystem development, marketing and education for up to the ETF’s first year — a voluntary pledge it can alter or end at any time. The push includes an educational hub, “Zcash Invest,” plus a national ad campaign titled “Zcash: The Next Era of Crypto.” The campaign launched with a Wall Street Journal wrap and will run across print, outdoor, digital, streaming and social channels, using a zebra motif drawn from the Zcash community. “Financial privacy is becoming essential as more economic activity moves onchain and AI makes it easier to analyze,” said Steve Vanourny, Grayscale’s head of index. The timing is notable. Grayscale listed the ZCSH fund on NYSE Arca in August, weeks after Zcash suffered a serious setback: a critical flaw in its shielded pool that pushed ZEC down roughly 50% before a fix arrived in July. Grayscale later split the fund’s shares to lower per‑share cost for investors during a period when interest in privacy coins was strong. Competition is already emerging: the Winklevoss twins are reportedly working on their own Zcash ETF, and Europe has seen the launch of its first Zcash exchange‑traded product. Market backdrop for ZEC has been choppy. CoinGecko data shows ZEC trading around $1,043 after an 11.3% 24‑hour drop and a brief dip below $1,000. The token is down about 19% over the past 30 days and off October highs above $1,500, though it remains roughly 75% higher than a year ago. Perpetual futures open interest sits near $2.3 billion — a reminder that past rallies have been accompanied by leveraged positions that can exacerbate volatility. Grayscale’s $1 million commitment and broader promotional effort aim to bolster Zcash adoption and awareness at a moment when scrutiny, competition and price swings are all conspiring to test the privacy coin’s momentum. Read more AI-generated news on: https://app.chaingpt.org/news