Crypto · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Zcash Developers Target Nov. 5 NU7 Mainnet Upgrade With 25-Second Blocks
NU7 mainnet targeted for November 5, with October 6 testnet activation. Block times drop to 25 seconds; version 4 transactions disabled; halving schedule preserved.
12 outlets, one story, no spin found.
9 of 11 outlets skipped it: NSM reintroduced starting February 2031.
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NU7 timeline set
Zcash developers have targeted Nov. 5 for the NU7 mainnet upgrade, with testnet activation planned for Oct. 6 and a final decision on the mainnet start date scheduled for Oct. 20.
“NU7 mainnet, scheduled for Nov. 5”
The NU7 package is described as cutting Zcash’s target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, disabling version 4 transactions, and deploying the Network Sustainability Mechanism.
Sean Bowe’s statement says there is a shared understanding between Zcash Foundation, Project Tachyon, Valar Group, ZODL, Shielded Labs, and all engineers about the scope and timeline of deliverables, which the developers say will be ready by Sept. 30.
Afterward, engineers will deploy NU7 to a testnet and observe its behavior over a two-week period before setting a new mainnet activation height.
Coinholders also backed the changes, with official forum tallies showing 98.9% of participating ZEC backed keeping Bitcoin-style halvings while also supporting the shift to 25-second blocks.
What NU7 changes
One of NU7’s major proposals is ZIP 218, which lowers Zcash’s target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds while continuing to issue the same number of ZEC each day by reducing the subsidy paid per block.
ZIP 218 also sets maximum actions per block, including no more than 330 Orchard actions, 300 Sapling inputs and outputs combined, and 25 Sprout JoinSplits.
The proposal estimates that Orchard throughput for standard two-action transactions in Orchard would rise to 2.9 per second and, before and after optimization, to 6.6.
Testing described in the same coverage put the theoretical stale block rate at around 3.26% at 25-second spacing, while a devnet with 99 Zebra nodes and 2 MB blocks produced a 4.86% stale-block rate and 0.37% fork rate.
The NU7 plan also includes deactivating version 4 transactions so it would not be possible to spend from the legacy Sprout pool with version 5 transactions, and it frames the Network Sustainability Mechanism as keeping Zcash’s halving schedule in the next inflationary period.
Governance and market reaction
Zcash coinholders backed the NU7 governance package with official coverage describing near-universal support for the faster blocks and preserving the halving schedule, including 99.9% backing 25-second blocks and 98.9% backing the existing halving mechanism.
“Zcash (ZEC) Soars to Record High Above $1,480”
The same governance reporting says about 2.4 million ZEC took part out of roughly 3.6 million eligible at the snapshot, and it also describes a vote to wait until February 2031 before reissuing ZEC collected through the Network Sustainability Mechanism.
In parallel with the governance outcome, multiple outlets tied ZEC’s price surge to NU7, with Blockonomi saying Zcash rose to a new all-time high exceeding $1,480 and CoinMarketCap framing the move as driven by the NU7 vote.
Blockonomi also reported that ZEC experienced an approximately 20% price appreciation within 24 hours, while CoinMarketCap described ZEC as up about 10–12% as the rest of the market fell.
The NU7 timeline remains conditional on the Oct. 20 mainnet decision after developers review NU7 testnet performance, with the planned Nov. 5 date described as a target until that determination is made.