**Vanguard Joins the Crypto Fold and Zcash Surges on Security Breakthrough**
In a significant shift for the traditional financial world, Vanguard—the $11 trillion asset management giant long known for its crypto skepticism—has posted its first-ever Head of Digital Assets role. The move signals a dramatic reversal for the firm, which spent years advising clients against cryptocurrency only to begin cautiously allowing crypto fund trades in its brokerage last December. Now, Vanguard is actively building a multi-year digital asset roadmap covering tokenization, stablecoins, custody, and blockchain settlement while seeking regulatory representation.
Meanwhile, the crypto market is buzzing with security breakthroughs. Zcash jumped 10% on news that its upcoming “Tachyon” upgrade has nearly finalized a mathematical proof demonstrating its next-generation “Ironwood” shielded pool is free of the hidden counterfeiting vulnerabilities that caused a 40% price crash in June. The project promises not only enhanced privacy but also scalability to thousands of transactions per second and improved quantum resistance.
These developments come amid broader market turbulence: crypto majors fell 2–5% following U.S. strikes in Iran, Bitcoin hovers around $62,000, and the Coinbase premium remains negative for 50 consecutive days. Yet institutional adoption continues to accelerate, with Bitcoin ETFs seeing $21 million in net inflows and Vanguard’s latest hiring signaling that traditional finance is finally capitulating to the crypto reality.
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*Originally published in part by Decrypt in “Morning Minute” newsletter, December 2025.*
