Zcash’s NU7 upgrade is now active, changing how the network handles both block production and fees. The target block interval has fallen from 75 seconds to 25, so private payments can confirm roughly three times faster.
That’s the immediate user-facing change; the upgrade also directs 60% of transaction fees into a reserve intended to support future mining rewards starting in 2031, without changing Zcash’s supply cap.
There’s a trade-off for users of the legacy Sprout shielded pool. About 12,224 ZEC remained there, and NU7 invalidates the version-four transactions required to withdraw those funds. Under current consensus rules, that balance is now inaccessible unless a future upgrade restores a compatible withdrawal path.
ZEC moved higher alongside activation, putting the live rollout, not just the earlier upgrade plan, in focus. The timing alone doesn’t establish which feature drove the price move.
What changed today is concrete: faster target blocks, a fee reserve for later miner rewards, and the loss of access to the remaining Sprout funds under the current rules. The next evidence will be how the network operates after activation and how the reserve design is carried forward.