In today’s Zcash news, the privacy-focused network activated its NU7 upgrade on the public testnet at block 4,465,026, reducing the target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. If services continue using three confirmations, the estimated waiting period would drop to roughly 75 seconds from 225 seconds. However, the change is currently limited to the testnet and does not yet apply to the Zcash mainnet.
The trial uses testnet coins with no monetary value, giving developers and infrastructure providers an environment to test the upgrade before it affects real ZEC. NU7 also assigns 60% of transaction fees to a future-reward reserve, lowers per-block rewards to maintain the planned ZEC issuance schedule, and removes support for Sprout transactions.
The upgrade comes as ZEC/USD trades about 2.5% lower over the past 24 hours at slightly above $1,300. Despite the daily decline, ZEC has gained more than 30% over the past 30 days, making it one of the stronger-performing crypto assets through September.
What Do 25-Second Blocks Mean for ZEC?
The public testnet activation comes ahead of the planned November rollout, which is designed to reduce the target block interval to 25 seconds. That would allow blocks to be produced three times as frequently as under the previous 75-second target.
Under a three-confirmation policy, the theoretical waiting period would fall to around 75 seconds from 225 seconds. Actual block production can vary, however, and wallets, exchanges and other service providers can establish their own confirmation requirements. Those policies ultimately determine when deposits are credited.
Faster blocks are only one part of the broader NU7 upgrade. Under the new structure, miners will receive 40% of transaction fees, while the block reward will be reduced to one-third of its previous level.
NU7 will also disable Sprout transactions, which rely on Zcash’s oldest privacy system. Users holding funds that depend on Sprout will need to move those assets before the mainnet upgrade to ensure they remain spendable.
The changes make the upgrade more complex than a simple increase in transaction speed, highlighting some of the broader technical and operational challenges associated with privacy-focused cryptocurrencies.
Because each block contains a batch of transactions, shorter intervals could potentially reduce the time merchants wait before accepting payments and exchanges wait before crediting deposits.
Three confirmations should be viewed as an example rather than a universal requirement or guarantee of finality. As with other cryptocurrency networks, the point at which a transaction becomes usable depends on the policies adopted by individual service providers.
The testnet’s coins carry no monetary value, allowing developers and infrastructure operators to evaluate the new rules without putting real ZEC at risk.
Zakura released its implementation on October 1, followed by the Zcash Foundation’s test version of Zebra on October 2. Both major node implementations now support the test, meaning operators need compatible software to remain connected to the upgraded network.
The trial is therefore testing more than whether blocks can be produced at a faster rate. It allows node operators, exchanges and other services to verify their software and operational procedures before any changes reach the mainnet. The 25-second figure is a protocol target, while the actual speed of deposit crediting will continue to depend on each service’s confirmation policy.
October 20 Review Comes Before November 5 Mainnet Target
Zcash developers are scheduled to review the testnet results on October 20 and determine whether to proceed with mainnet activation. November 5 remains the target date, although no specific mainnet activation block has been announced.
The testnet launch does not guarantee that NU7 will reach the mainnet on that schedule. If the upgrade moves forward, its practical effect on Zcash payments and deposits will depend on network performance, adoption of compatible software and the confirmation thresholds selected by individual services.
The estimated 75-second wait for three confirmations assumes providers keep their existing confirmation policy. It should not be interpreted as a guarantee that every wallet or exchange will credit ZEC within that timeframe.
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