Zcash Hits Turbo Mode: NU7 Slashes Block Times to 25 Seconds, Mainnet Set for Nov. 5 🚀

Zcash developers are targeting Nov. 5 for the mainnet activation of the NU7 upgrade after organizations and engineering teams reached "unanimous agreement" on its contents and timeline, Zcash developer Sean Bowe said Thursday. The upgrade is scheduled to activate on the Zcash testnet on Oct. 6, with a final decision on the mainnet activation height set for Oct. 20 following an assessment of testnet performance. The code for the planned features is targeted for completion by Sept. 30.

NU7 would reduce Zcash's target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, disable version 4 transactions, and integrate the Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM). The chosen NSM configuration preserves Zcash's halving schedule, with the reintroduction of previously removed supply beginning in February 2031. Bowe said NU7 would not introduce new transaction formats and should not significantly affect wallets, though full nodes, indexers and block explorers may require adjustments.

The agreement was reached among the Zcash Foundation, Project Tachyon, Valar Group, ZODL, Shielded Labs, and other organizations and engineering teams. On Wednesday, ZEC holders overwhelmingly backed the shorter block interval and preserving the halving schedule, with 98.9% supporting the halving schedule and 99.9% of the ZEC-weighted vote supporting the faster-block proposal.

The timeline came amid a surge in ZEC's price. On Thursday, ZEC rose about 20% over 24 hours and hit a new high above $1,526, according to market data, as privacy coins substantially outperformed the wider market. Glassnode data showed that 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.