Key Takeaways:
On April 13, 2026, digital asset mining firm Foundry saw its Zcash mining pool’s share of the network reach 30% of the total hashrate, a move that brings the issue of network centralization to the forefront for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency.
The milestone was reported via Foundry’s newly launched Zcash block explorer, Zcashinfo.com, which provides real-time network and mining data. While the launch of a new explorer is a positive development for data transparency, the concentration of mining power in a single entity has raised questions about the network's resilience against potential attacks or censorship.
A 30% hashrate share in a single pool is a significant figure in the proof-of-work consensus mechanism that Zcash shares with Bitcoin. While still below the 51% threshold needed to theoretically control the network, such concentration is seen by many as a worrying step toward centralization, a development that could undermine the core value proposition of a decentralized and censorship-resistant digital currency.
This development forces a critical conversation within the Zcash community about the trade-offs between mining efficiency and network security. For investors, the growing hashrate concentration could become a key factor in assessing Zcash's long-term risk profile, potentially leading to price volatility as the market digests the implications for the coin's decentralization.
Foundry's increased involvement in the Zcash ecosystem is a double-edged sword. The launch of a dedicated mining pool and a feature-rich block explorer demonstrates a significant investment and commitment to the network's infrastructure. Such contributions can foster growth and attract more miners. However, when a single company's success translates into a dominant share of the network's security apparatus, it inherently creates a central point of failure, a risk that decentralized protocols are specifically designed to avoid.
The issue is particularly notable for Zcash, a project that has often been ahead of the curve on security matters. As noted in recent research, Zcash's architecture and development roadmap make it more resilient to future quantum computing threats than Bitcoin (BTC). This forward-thinking approach to security is now contrasted with the more immediate, classic threat of mining centralization. While Bitcoin mining has become more centralized from an industrial perspective, it has been decentralizing geographically, as reported by KuCoin. The concentration in Foundry's Zcash pool, however, presents a different type of centralization challenge that the community and its stakeholders must now address.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
