
Physically backed exchange-traded product opens brokerage route to ZEC for European investors amid surging network activity.
21Shares launched a physically backed Zcash ETP on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, offering European investors regulated exposure to ZEC with a 2.5% annual fee amid a broader market rally and multiyear highs in network transfer volume.
AI-generated summary
21Shares introduced a Zcash ETP on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, providing European investors regulated exposure.
21Shares has launched a Zcash ETP, a physically backed exchange-traded product, on Euronext Paris and Amsterdam, opening a brokerage route to ZEC for European investors. The issuer announced the listing on Sept. 22 as Zcash rallied, but the price advance began before the product arrived.
The 21Shares Zcash ETP trades as ZCASH, with a euro listing in Paris and a dollar listing in Amsterdam. Its ISIN is CH1608218801. The product holds ZEC through its structure, giving investors price exposure without requiring them to buy or custody tokens directly. Its annual fee is 2.5%, and brokerage charges may add to the cost. The investor holds the listed product while the underlying ZEC is kept within its custody structure, a different experience from acquiring coins and moving them between personal wallets. In its launch post, 21Shares called it the first Zcash ETP available to European investors.
The distinction between product inception and public launch matters here. The issuer's product page gives Sept. 21 as the inception date, while its listing announcement came Sept. 22. ZEC was already trading around $1,540 on Sept. 19, when CryptoSlate covered a rally tied to growing attention on Grayscale's separate U.S. Zcash ETF. The European product therefore adds a new access point to an established price move.
On Sept. 23, Zcash recorded a 24-hour ZEC high of $1,651 before retracing to around $1,487 as of press time.
Weekly activity reaches multiyear highs
Messari reported more than $23 billion in Zcash transfer volume last week, its highest weekly total since 2021 and second-highest on record. That measure counts value moving on the network. Capital flows into ZEC or the new ETP require different data, so the $23 billion figure describes network movement rather than fresh investment.
On X, Zodl reported 62,379 shielded transactions last week, the highest weekly reading since 2022. Shielded transactions conceal details that would otherwise be visible on the public chain. The count measures transactions rather than distinct users. Subsequent weekly readings will show whether that level of shielded activity persists.
The new European listing and the two activity readings give investors fresh ways to assess Zcash beyond its price. Changes in ZCASH's assets will offer a separate gauge of take-up through European brokerage accounts. Those signals will develop on different timelines as the product begins trading.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Subsequent weekly readings will show whether shielded activity levels persist.
Likely · Within weeks

Stablecoin infrastructure provider HIFI has secured $37 million in a Series A round led by Left Lane Capital. The company, which processes $7 billion in annualized volume, plans to use the capital to expand its tokenized capital markets and payment infrastructure.

CFTC Chair Mike Selig announced plans to implement crypto market structure rules using existing agency authority following the failure of the Clarity Act. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is considering initiatives to promote USD-backed stablecoins internationally.

The era of pure crypto exchanges is ending as platforms like Bybit and Coinbase expand into traditional financial services, offering stocks, gold, forex, and payment options to meet evolving customer demands amid tightening industry conditions.

The European Banking Authority has urged the European Commission to bring crypto borrowing, lending, and DeFi access under the EU's MiCA framework to address growing risks and market blurring.

Bitcoin fell below $84,000 to $83,200 during Asian trading hours as the US 10-year Treasury yield reached its highest level since 2007, driven by rising rate hike expectations.

None of the 15 institutions interviewed by asset manager Bitwise cut their crypto allocations during a roughly 50% market drawdown, while several bought more. Bitcoin remained the largest and longest-held position, whereas Ether and Solana faced stricter conditions for selling.