Zcash Upgrade Could Triple Transaction Speed as ZEC Faces Crypto Governance Turmoil

Dextape brief

By Dextape Desk · November 3, 2026

Zcash is preparing its NU7 upgrade, set for block 3,543,405 around November 5, 2026, according to the network's deployment schedule. It cuts the block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, so a user waiting on three confirmations would wait roughly 75 seconds instead of nearly four minutes. The upgrade also limits some shielded activity and sends 60% of fees into a reserve to support future miner income. Holders of coins in the older Sprout privacy pool must transfer them first, because version 4 transactions, needed to spend those funds, will be disabled. Node operators need updated software to stay on the consensus chain. Separately, co-founder Sean Bowe has proposed ending the automatic 8% share of new ZEC directed to the Community Grants program, noting it already holds about $125 million.

Why it matters: The faster blocks and fee reserve change confirmations and miner income, while the grants debate questions how development is funded.

Summary by Dextape, based on reporting by Cryptonews. Written with AI from the publisher’s text and checked automatically for copied wording and unsupported figures. Not investment advice.