Zcash Sets November Target for NU7 Network Upgrade

The upgrade roadmap, detailed by Sean Bowe in a recent update, includes a transition to 25-second block intervals, a significant reduction from the current 75-second target. This shift, outlined in ZIP 218, is designed to enhance liquidity and transaction speed for payments and cross-chain operations. To maintain consistent daily issuance, the subsidy per block will be adjusted accordingly.

Beyond performance tweaks, the update introduces a Network Sustainability Mechanism and mandates the deactivation of version 4 transactions. The latter change will effectively restrict spending from legacy Sprout funds, a pool that currently holds less than 0.1% of total transaction volume. Engineering teams, including the Zcash Foundation, Shielded Labs, and Valar Group, have set a feature-completion deadline of September 30, with testnet activation slated for October 6. While the November 5 date serves as the current goal, official deployment remains contingent on a rigorous evaluation of the testnet environment. Recent governance polling saw strong participation, with coinholders overwhelmingly voting to preserve the existing halving schedule while setting the reissuance date for the sustainability mechanism to February 2031.