Zcash developers schedule NU7 review: What it means for the Zcash price

Published on 10/16/2026 at 22:57 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

NU7 cut testnet blocks to 25 seconds from 75. The Zcash price is 1,232.85 USD on October 16, 2026, up 13.20 percent.

Mainnet review on October 20, 2026

Developers will decide on October 20, 2026, whether NU7 should move from testnet to mainnet.
Testnet activation occurred at block 4,465,026 on October 4, 2026.
The Zcash price stands at 1,232.85 USD as of October 16, 2026, 13.20 percent above the UTC daily close of October 15, 2026.
Zcash ETF products recorded 30.8 million USD in outflows from October 5 through October 9, 2026.

Zcash, XCCRYPTOZEC1, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Zcash (ZEC) developers are scheduled to decide whether NU7 moves from testnet to mainnet on October 20, 2026, after the public test network activated the upgrade at block 4,465,026 on October 4, according to CoinDesk. The Zcash price is 1,232.85 USD as of October 16, 2026, up 13.20 percent compared with the UTC daily close of October 15, 2026.

NU7 changes target 25-second blocks

NU7 is a protocol upgrade tested on a public version of the Zcash network before production deployment. The upgrade cuts the target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, according to CoinDesk. A shorter interval changes how quickly new transaction batches are targeted for creation, while the testnet uses coins without monetary value.

The upgrade also introduces a Network Sustainability Mechanism. Under the tested rules, 60 percent of transaction fees goes to a reserve for future mining rewards and 40 percent goes to miners, while scheduled issuance remains aligned with the existing timetable, CoinDesk reported. NU7 also disables version 4 transactions, which affects the older Sprout privacy pool. ZEC held there must be moved before mainnet activation to retain access through that transaction format.

ETF products record 30.8 million USD outflows

Crypto.news reported that Farside Investors' Zcash table recorded 30.8 million USD in withdrawals from Zcash ETF products over October 5 through October 9, 2026. The report listed 3.6 million USD in outflows on October 5, 8.5 million USD on October 7 and 18.7 million USD on October 8, with no net flow reported for October 6 or October 9, according to Crypto.news.

The NU7 schedule includes a developer review on October 20, 2026, when the activation decision and mainnet height are due to be set. The current target for mainnet deployment is November 5, 2026, according to the Zcash Community Forum. That date remains a target rather than an activated mainnet height.

Zcash trades at 1,232.85 USD

According to Investing.com, Zcash trades at 1,232.85 USD as of October 16, 2026, up 13.20 percent compared with the UTC daily close of October 15, 2026. The daily high is 1,242.16 USD and the daily low (UTC day) is 1,188.70 USD. Market capitalization is 20.84 billion USD, ranking Zcash ninth, while 24-hour volume is 1.58 billion USD. Circulating supply is 16.92 million ZEC.