Change

Zcash

Evan

Sprout

<p><a href="https://bsc.news/news/zcash-20-second-block-interval-proposal?utm_source=coinmarketcap&amp;utm_medium=feed" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read this article on bsc.news</a></p>
<p>Zcash (<a href="https://x.com/Zcash" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@Zcash</a>) <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24ZEC&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$ZEC</a> developers have proposed cutting the network's target block interval from 25 seconds to 20 seconds, days after the NU7 upgrade went live on mainnet.</p>
<p><cite>Developers ValarDragon and Evan Forbes submitted a draft Zcash Improvement Proposal (ZIP) on the Zcash community forum on Sunday. They want the change included in the next community poll and considered for the upcoming NU7.1 network upgrade.</cite></p>
<h2 id="what-the-proposal-would-change">What the Proposal Would Change</h2>
<p><cite>According to the proposal, the shorter interval would improve the user experience for point-of-sale payments, exchange deposits and cross-chain swaps.</cite><cite>Cutting the interval from 25 to 20 seconds shortens the expected cadence by roughly 20%.</cite></p>
<p>The draft is not an activated protocol change. <cite>The next steps are procedural: inclusion in a community poll, followed by consideration for NU7.1.</cite></p>
<p>The developers say the change would leave key parameters intact. <cite>They stated that a shorter interval would not increase the network's total daily privacy transaction capacity or alter Zcash's existing issuance schedule.</cite> According to TechFlow, citing the Zcash governance forum, <cite>the proposal plans to keep the 2 MB block size cap and adjust parameters such as privacy transaction operations and block rewards proportionally.</cite><cite>Stress tests in a simulated network of 80 miners across 12 regions put the orphan block rate for 20-second blocks at roughly 1.9% to 3.3%.</cite></p>
<h2 id="background-the-nu7-upgrade">Background: The NU7 Upgrade</h2>
<p><cite>NU7 activated on mainnet at block height 3,543,405, reducing the target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds</cite>, according to The Block. <cite>The upgrade also activated the Network Sustainability Mechanism, which removes 60% of each block's transaction fees from circulation and stores them in a public reserve.</cite><cite>The mechanism is designed to preserve Zcash's 21 million ZEC supply cap.</cite></p>
<p>Shorter intervals carry trade-offs. <cite>Shorter block intervals increase the risk of orphan blocks, which are valid blocks discarded because a competing block reaches the network first.</cite><cite>Developers expected an orphan rate below 1% on the live network, because actual mining is more concentrated and blocks contain far fewer transactions.</cite></p>
<p>NU7 also had side effects for some holders. <cite>The Sprout privacy pool was retired, making around 12,224 ZEC unspendable.</cite><cite>No recovery mechanism had received approval as of Friday.</cite></p>
<p>The 20-second proposal now moves to community discussion. If it gains support in the poll, it could be implemented through NU7.1.</p>
<h2 id="sources">Sources</h2>
<p><a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/zcash-developers-propose-20-second-blocks-nu7-upgrade" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Cointelegraph: Zcash devs propose another block time cut days after NU7 upgrade</a><br><a href="https://www.theblock.co/news/defi/2026-11-06-zcashs-nu7-goes-live-435807" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">The Block: Zcash's NU7 goes live on mainnet, cutting block time by threefold</a><br><a href="https://www.techflowpost.com/en-US/newsletter/143659" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">TechFlow: Zcash community proposes reducing block time from 25 to 20 seconds</a></p>
<p><a href="https://bsc.news/latest-news?utm_source=coinmarketcap&amp;utm_medium=feed" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">See more news on bsc.news</a></p>

Zcash Developers Propose Cutting Block Interval to 20 Seconds After NU7 Upgrade

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