Zcash price: NU7 upgrade nears mainnet activation
Published on 11/03/2026 at 18:44 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSWhat matters for ZEC
- NU7 is set to activate at mainnet block 3,543,405, with the network expected to reach that height around November 5.
- The upgrade targets 25-second blocks instead of 75-second blocks and changes transaction-fee and legacy Sprout rules.
- Investing.com displayed ZEC at 1,192.81 US dollars when read on November 3, with a market capitalization of 20.16 billion US dollars.
- Sprout holders and node operators face separate preparation deadlines before activation.
The Zcash price remains tied to a major protocol event rather than a scheduled calendar-time launch. Network Upgrade 7, or NU7, is set to activate at mainnet block 3,543,405, with the chain expected to reach that height around November 5, 2026. The activation is therefore triggered by the blockchain reaching a defined height, not by a fixed hour.
The activation height was merged into the Zcash protocol specifications on October 21. The underlying Zcash Improvement Proposal repository records block 3,543,405 as the NU7 mainnet activation point.
Faster blocks, revised economics
NU7 is designed to reduce the target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds under ZIP 218. That change could shorten confirmation waiting times, although actual block intervals can vary. The upgrade also introduces limits for shielded transaction activity and changes the treatment of transaction fees. Under the proposed rules, 60 percent of fees are directed into a network sustainability reserve rather than being paid immediately to miners.
The upgrade also creates a practical deadline for holders of legacy Sprout funds. NU7 disables version-4 transactions, which are required to spend funds held in the Sprout privacy pool. Holders who still control such funds need to migrate them to a supported pool before activation. Node operators likewise need NU7-compatible software to remain on the upgraded consensus chain. The Zcash Foundation's Zebra 7.0.0 release is described as supporting the mainnet activation.
Market snapshot and investor focus
When read on November 3, the Investing.com Zcash price page displayed ZEC at 1,192.81 US dollars at 15:37:17. The same page showed a market capitalization of 20.16 billion US dollars, 24-hour volume of 1.15 billion US dollars, and a circulating supply of 16.95 million ZEC. These figures are a snapshot from the page read and should not be treated as a separate UTC daily-close comparison.
For investors, the immediate question is whether the network transition is completed smoothly across miners, exchanges, wallets and node operators. Faster target blocks may improve payment and exchange-deposit workflows, while the Sprout migration requirement creates a more specific operational risk for affected holders. The Zcash topic page tracks further coverage of the NU7 countdown and the Zcash price.
