Zcash Prepares for Major Upgrade: NU7 Set for November Activation

The Zcash community has reached a consensus on the NU7 upgrade, which is set to activate on the mainnet on November 5, 2026. The upgrade will reduce the target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, allowing for quicker block production and reduced transaction confirmation latency.

The ZIP-218 proposal, which was accepted by the developers, suggests increasing the proof-of-work goldrush window from 17 to 102 blocks, while maintaining a similar smoothing time. This change will enable faster block spacing and improve network performance.

NU7 also includes modifications to transaction compatibility and emerging strategies for network sustainability. The upgrade will ensure that the issuance of ZEC halvings continues and incorporate the Network Sustainability Mechanism.