Zcash’s NU7 upgrade has gone live on testnet, cutting block times from 75 seconds to 25. It completed its run ahead of schedule, giving exchanges, wallets, and developers a few weeks to test it in practice. Mainnet activation is set for November. As it speeds things up on the technical side, Zcash has also, for the first time, registered a lobbying organization in Washington, specifically to keep an eye on the CLARITY Act and two digital-asset tax proposals. A privacy coin heading to Capitol Hill to introduce itself says it all: it doesn’t plan to rely on its tech narrative alone to make it to mainnet. The number I’m watching is 25 seconds—blocks will come three times faster, changing the pace of on-chain confirmations and exchange deposits. When mainnet goes live in November, the real test will be whether wallets and exchanges can keep up. On the lobbying front, the CLARITY Act is stalled in the Senate. Zcash is entering the scene now because it wants a seat at the table before the rules are set in stone. $ZEC