In today’s blockchain update, privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash could soon become significantly faster following a new proposal to improve transaction performance across the network. The development has sparked optimism among community members who believe the changes could strengthen Zcash’s position in the privacy coin sector.
New Upgrade Targets Faster Transactions
Privacy-focused platform Cyberpunk revealed in an X post that Zcash’s first NU7 testnet is now live. Zcash developers outlined in a recent blog post that this seventh upgrade will boost the network’s shielded TPS and reduce block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds.
BREAKING: The first NU7 testnet, doubling shielded TPS and reducing block times from 75 to 25 seconds, is live. pic.twitter.com/1PlhNLcI0y
— Cypherpunk ($CYPH) (@cypherpunk) May 22, 2026
According to developers, the faster block times will allow payments to confirm much sooner. The team also stated that decentralized testnets have maintained an uncle rate below 5%, with expectations that it will be even lower on the mainnet. Developers further revealed that Orchard’s maximum throughput will double under the upgrade, significantly improving transaction capacity across the network.
The upgrade also introduces the Action Limits proposal, which developers say could reduce the maximum sandblast attack vector by 40%. Behind the scenes, Zcash’s proof-of-work difficulty calculations are undergoing a re-tuning to lower mining variance and improve network security guarantees.
Sustainability and Governance Features Planned
Beyond transaction speed improvements, developers are also proposing a new mechanism to improve network sustainability, aimed at strengthening Zcash’s long-term future. Under the proposal, 60% of transaction fees would be collected and redistributed to miners after the fourth halving. Developers explained that the mechanism is designed to address concerns that miners could eventually rely solely on transaction fees as block rewards continue to decline every 4 years.
Supporters believe the system could help stabilize miner incentives and improve network sustainability over the long term. The NU7 proposal also includes a delayed deprecation of the Sprout pool. Developers noted that the Sprout pool would become inactive after 1 year, while the community awaits the conclusion of a token-holder vote on the final deprecation timeline.
Developers also disclosed that the NU7 testnet will run for only 2 weeks and urged community members to actively test the features and provide meaningful feedback before the next stage of development. They further clarified that all the highlighted features remain proposals for the seventh network upgrade and will ultimately be decided in the upcoming NU7 vote.
Community Optimistic Despite Rising Competition
The latest development has generated positive reactions among members of the Zcash community. Supporters argue that faster transaction processing and stronger sustainability measures could attract more users and developers to the ecosystem.
CEO of Helius, Mert Mumtaz, also reacted to the announcement with excitement, stating that “Zcash is about to get much faster.” His remarks further fueled optimism surrounding the upcoming NU7 rollout. Interestingly, the launch of the NU7 testnet comes shortly after the Zcash Foundation released its 2026 first-quarter report, which showed it held roughly $36.7 million in liquid assets as of March 31.
The development also follows reports showing that ZEC has recently outperformed both Bitcoin and Ethereum. Currently, ZEC trades around the $638 mark and ranks 11th in the crypto market. The prediction platform CoinCodex also speculates that Zcash could surge above $1,000 by the end of 2026. The projection has further strengthened bullish sentiment among some investors who believe the NU7 upgrade could support long-term adoption and price growth for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency.
Josiah Oluwadare
