🛡️ What’s coming for the $ZEC ?
The next major update is NU7 (Network Upgrade 7). The currently defined schedule calls for testnet on October 6, 2026, and mainnet on November 5, 2026.
1. ⚡ Blocks from 75 to 25 seconds
This is probably the easiest change to understand. Today, the target block interval is 75 seconds; with NU7, it will be 25 seconds.
This means the network will be able to produce blocks about 3 times faster. The goal is to improve the user experience and reduce the waiting time associated with confirmations. 2. 🔐 End of v4/Sprout transactions
The update also includes disabling the old v4 transactions related to the Sprout pool.
Sprout is already an old part of Zcash: deposits were disabled in 2018 and, according to the voting documentation, it now represents less than 0.1% of transaction volume.
This represents a kind of cleanup and modernization of the old infrastructure.
3. 💰 Network Sustainability Mechanism — NSM
Here’s a more interesting part.
The NSM provides that a portion of the network fees will be temporarily taken out of circulation and later can return to the system as rewards.
In the recent vote by ZEC holders, keeping the current halving schedule prevailed. For the reintroduction of the funds removed by the NSM, the interpretation adopted by the ecosystem organizations was February 2031.
Important: this doesn’t mean permanently destroying ZEC or changing the maximum supply cap. The proposal is about the circulation and subsequent reintroduction of these funds.
4. 🗓️ The dates I would put on the radar
Date What happens
30/09/2026 Deadline for NU7 resources to be ready
06/10/2026 NU7 planned for the Testnet
20/10/2026 Final decision on activation on the Mainnet
05/11/2026 Planned NU7 activation on the Mainnet
These dates are especially important because November 5 is a planned date, not an absolute guarantee: the test results will be considered before final activation.
👀 And what could that mean for ZEC?
Here we need to separate technology from price.
The update may make the network faster and remove older components. This could matter for Zcash users, developers, and infrastructure.
But we can’t conclude that the update will make the price go up. The market will also be reacting to Bitcoin, liquidity, capital flows, regulatory news, and ZEC’s own speculative movement.
And there’s another interesting detail: according to the official schedule, NU7 will not introduce a new transaction format. So it’s not correct to present the update as if it were a complete transformation of Zcash’s transaction technology.
ZEC: THE NEXT PHASE IS COMING
🛡️ NU7 — Network Upgrade 7
⚡ 75s → 25s per block
🔐 Disabling old v4 transactions
💰 New sustainability mechanism
📅 06/10 — Testnet
🚨 20/10 — Mainnet decision
🚀 05/11 — planned activation
Zcash isn’t just trying to keep up with the market. It’s preparing its infrastructure for the next phase.
Updated information on 20/09/2026. Educational content, not investment advice.
