CoinDesk
Zcash developers are targeting Nov. 5 for NU7, an upgrade that would cut block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds and make shielded payments faster. The date is not yet confirmed: code is due Sept. 30, testnet deployment is planned for Oct. 6, and the final mainnet decision is set for Oct. 20.
NU7 also introduces a Network Sustainability Mechanism under ZIP-235. About 60% of transaction fees would be temporarily removed from circulation rather than paid to miners, then returned as mining rewards beginning in February 2031. The proposal reduces rewards per block and extends the halving interval from 1.68 million blocks to 5.04 million, preserving Zcash’s issuance and halving schedule.
Why it matters
Shorter block times could reduce the wait for exchanges and bridges that require a fixed number of confirmations. Shielded Zcash payments hide the sender, recipient and amount from the public blockchain, giving direct wallet-to-wallet payments stronger privacy than visible-address transactions.
The upgrade reflects a broader effort to make private payments more practical without changing Zcash’s long-term monetary framework. Core teams including the Zcash Foundation, Project Tachyon, Valar, ZODL and Shielded Labs reached unanimous agreement on the proposal after community and coinholder polls. About 2.4 million ZEC participated, with 98.9% supporting the existing halving schedule.
Market impact
Producing three times as many blocks would not create three times as much ZEC because each block reward would be reduced by three. The delayed fee allocation adds a future source of miner income as regular issuance declines through successive halvings.
The upgrade would disable the older transaction format, while wallets are not expected to need significant changes. Full nodes, indexers and block explorers may require updates before activation.
Frequently asked questions
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When could Zcash’s NU7 upgrade go live?
Zcash developers are targeting Nov. 5, but activation is not confirmed. Code is due Sept. 30, testnet deployment is planned for Oct. 6, and the final mainnet decision is due Oct. 20.
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How much faster would Zcash blocks become under NU7?
NU7 would reduce Zcash’s target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. This could shorten confirmation waits for exchanges and bridges that require a fixed number of blocks.
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What happens to Zcash transaction fees under NU7?
About 60% of transaction fees would be temporarily removed from circulation instead of being paid to miners. The funds are scheduled to return as mining rewards beginning in February 2031.
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Would faster Zcash blocks increase total ZEC issuance?
No. NU7 would reduce the reward paid per block by three and extend the halving interval from 1.68 million blocks to 5.04 million, preserving the existing issuance schedule.
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Will Zcash wallets need major changes for NU7?
Wallets are not expected to require significant changes. Full nodes, indexers and block explorers may need updates, and NU7 would disable the older transaction format.
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