Zcash Network Upgrade 7 Activates, Reducing Block Time to 25 Seconds

Zcash Network Upgrade 7 activated on the mainnet today at block 3,543,405, mined at 02:34 UTC, introducing significant changes to block timing, transaction capacity, and fee distribution.

The upgrade reduces the target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, which the network says will enable faster first confirmations and increase capacity for shielded transactions. The block subsidy was divided by three to compensate for the faster block rate, keeping ZEC issuance per day roughly unchanged.

NU7 also directs 60% of transaction fees into the Network Sustainability Mechanism and retires version 4 transactions, ending support for spending from the legacy Sprout pool. According to the Zcash Foundation, the upgrade also aims to lower worst-case wallet sync load.