A proposed exchange-traded fund backed by affiliates of the Winklevoss Capital group has filed a registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to list a product tied directly to Zcash on Nasdaq. If approved, the fund would give investors access to ZEC through a conventional brokerage account rather than requiring them to buy and store the cryptocurrency themselves.
Proposed fund structure
The fund, named the Winklevoss Zcash ETF, would seek to trade under the ticker WINK. Winklevoss Asset Services would sponsor the ETF, while Gemini Trust Company, an affiliate of the sponsor, would act as custodian for its ZEC holdings.
The proposed product would hold Zcash directly. It would not use leverage or derivatives to pursue its investment objective, and its annual sponsor fee would be 0.25%.
Winklevoss Capital Fund, through one or more affiliates, has also expressed interest in buying as much as $100 million of the ETF’s shares. The filing made clear that this potential investment is not binding, meaning the indicated amount does not represent a firm commitment to purchase shares.
According to Cointelegraph, the registration statement is the latest step in seeking regulatory approval; a filing alone does not mean the ETF has been approved or will begin trading.
Why Zcash exposure matters
Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency. Its technology uses zero-knowledge proofs, which can support shielded transactions that hide transaction amounts as well as the identities of the sender and recipient.
An ETF is a fund whose shares can trade on a stock exchange. In this case, the proposed structure would place ZEC exposure inside a regulated-market vehicle, allowing eligible investors to access the asset through a brokerage account without directly handling Zcash or arranging their own custody.
The proposed WINK fund would enter a US market that already has a Zcash ETF. Grayscale’s Zcash ETF, trading under the ticker ZCSH, is already available, and Grayscale recently announced a three-for-one split of its shares.
ZEC market picture
Zcash has recorded a sharp rise over the past year. Cointelegraph, citing CoinGecko data, reported that ZEC had gained more than 735% over that period, taking its market capitalization to about $23 billion. It was trading at approximately $1,354 on Tuesday and ranked as the 10th-largest cryptocurrency by market value.
Moneyiar market data at 10:14 a.m. on October 7, 2026, showed ZEC at $1,318.51, down 3.06% over 24 hours and 6.42% over seven days. The Moneyiar figure is a market snapshot at that time and differs from the earlier price cited in the filing-related report.
