Zcash targets Nov. 5 for NU7 upgrade with 25-second blocks

Zcash sets Nov. 5 as its target for the NU7 mainnet upgrade

Zcash developers are aiming to activate the NU7 upgrade on the mainnet on Nov. 5. Developer Sean Bowe said the target was chosen after organizations and engineering teams reached “unanimous agreement” on what the upgrade will include and on its estimated timeline.

The upgrade is scheduled to go live on the testnet on Oct. 6, Bowe said on Thursday. A final decision on the mainnet upgrade and its activation height — the block number where the change takes effect — is planned for Oct. 20, after NU7’s testnet performance is assessed.

What the upgrade would change

• Target block spacing would fall from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. Block spacing is how much time is meant to pass between new blocks being added to the network.
• Version 4 transactions would be disabled.
• The upgrade would integrate the Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM).
• The chosen NSM configuration would preserve Zcash’s halving schedule, the timeline for reducing mining rewards. Previously removed supply would start being reintroduced in February 2031.

What Sean Bowe said about wallets and node operators

Bowe said NU7 would not introduce new transaction formats and should not significantly affect wallets, the software people use to store and send ZEC. He said full nodes, indexers and block explorers may need adjustments. Full nodes are computers that keep a copy of the blockchain and check its rules.

ZEC holders backed faster blocks by large margins

On Wednesday, ZEC holders strongly supported both the shorter block interval and keeping the halving schedule. According to the results, 98.9% supported keeping halvings, while 99.9% of the ZEC-weighted vote supported the faster-block proposal.

ZEC rose about 20% as privacy coins outperformed

The timeline was announced during a recent rise in ZEC’s price. On Thursday, ZEC rose about 20% over 24 hours, as privacy coins substantially outperformed the wider market.

Glassnode data showed the sector was 213% above its level at Bitcoin’s October 2025 peak, while a basket excluding ZEC was up about 85% over the past year.

What is still undecided

The Nov. 5 mainnet date is a target, not a final decision. The mainnet activation and its exact activation height depend on a decision scheduled for Oct. 20, which follows an assessment of how NU7 performs on the testnet. The statement that organizations and engineering teams reached unanimous agreement comes from the developer.

Sources

• Cointelegraph

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