More than $25 million in fresh capital is flowing into privacy infrastructure for Zcash (ZEC). At the same time, traditional asset managers are backing a blockchain platform designed to digitize private market workflows, signaling a broader pivot toward institutional-grade blockchain systems.
The privacy-focused initiative comes from Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL), founded by former Electric Coin Company CEO Josh Swihart. The organization disclosed a seed round exceeding $25 million backed by Paradigm, a16z crypto, Winklevoss Capital, and Coinbase Ventures. The capital will fund development across the Zcash ecosystem, including wallet software and privacy-focused infrastructure.
ZODL currently houses the technology behind the Zashi wallet, now rebranded as Zodl. The wallet’s simplified privacy interface helped expand the Zcash Orchard shielded pool from roughly 1 million ZEC to about 4 million ZEC during 2025, according to figures shared by the project.
Are Blockchain Networks Maturing For Institutional Finance?
A parallel development is unfolding in traditional finance infrastructure. Corastone, which operates a permissioned blockchain for private-market investment workflows, announced new backing from Fidelity Investments, Future Standard, and Hamilton Lane. Those firms join earlier investors including Apollo, Franklin Templeton, KKR, and Morgan Stanley.
The platform aims to replace fragmented file-based processes used across private market transactions with a shared digital network supporting straight-through processing. Private markets have expanded rapidly over the past decade, with global assets exceeding $13 trillion, according to data from Preqin, intensifying the need for standardized operational systems.
“As access to private markets continues to scale, firms need standardized, digital infrastructure that supports higher volumes and more complex structures without adding operational burden,” said Hamid Gayibov, co-founder and president of Corastone.
Hari Moorthy, chief technology officer at Future Standard, added that the investment reflects confidence in infrastructure that connects fragmented investment systems and enables automated transaction processing.
The Zcash ecosystem is also seeing market reactions. Zcash traded near $240.98 at the time of reporting, up about 3.8% over the previous 24 hours with roughly $346.4 million in daily trading volume, according to market data cited by crypto.news. If both initiatives gain traction, the next catalyst will likely emerge from how institutional infrastructure platforms and privacy-focused blockchain tools scale across real financial use cases.
