Gemini Offers Direct Shielded Zcash Withdrawals to Ironwood Pool

Gemini, a regulated cryptocurrency exchange, has enabled shielded Zcash withdrawals directly to the Ironwood pool. This move comes just two days after the July 28 activation of the NU6.3 network upgrade, which marked the beginning of the end for the previous Orchard shielded pool.

The Orchard pool held approximately $1.7 billion worth of ZEC before it was sealed due to a security issue that allowed counterfeiting. The Ironwood pool launched with a zero balance at block height 3,428,143 on July 28 and has already seen over 176,000 ZEC, worth around $80 million, successfully migrate to the new pool.

Gemini's support for Ironwood withdrawals is significant because it shows that the exchange values the privacy features of Zcash. The exchange had previously supported Orchard shielded withdrawals since November 2025 and has now become one of the few regulated platforms willing to touch Zcash's privacy features.