# Zcash Sets Its Sights on Next Major Network Upgrade

*Author: William Peaster*
*Published: Sep 18, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/read/news/zcash-sets-its-sights-on-next-major-network-upgrade*

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The Zcash ecosystem has landed on a firm rollout plan for NU7, the privacy coin's 9th major network upgrade, which was confirmed via a [Zcash Community Forum post](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/nu7-timeline/57655) with mainnet activation slated for November 2026. 

## **What’s the Scoop?**

- **Timeline:** Testnet activation lands October 6th, with a final mainnet call set for October 20th (i.e. a week ahead of Zcon) before NU7 flips live on mainnet November 5th. 

- **What’s changing:** Per ZIP-218, block times are planned to drop from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, tripling block frequency, alongside new per-pool action limits, the retirement of v4 transactions, and the integration of Zcash's fee-burning Network Sustainability Mechanism. 

- **Money question:** That lattermost mechanism reissues burned fees rather than destroying them, and it was a sticking point in NU7 polling. The community settled on keeping Zcash's existing halving schedule intact, with reissued supply flowing back starting February 2031.
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