Key Takeaways
Zcash (ZEC) initiated a major network upgrade with the launch of Network Upgrade 7 (NU7) on its testnet, an update poised to cut block times by nearly 67% from 75 to 25 seconds.
The move will make the privacy-focused network significantly faster, as Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz noted in a brief commentary on the event.
The upgrade introduces three core improvements: a threefold increase in transaction confirmation speed, a new Network Sustainability Mechanism to direct transaction fees to a miner support fund, and a revised fee model that charges per "logical action" to block network spam.
While the upgrade aims to solve long-standing speed issues, the market has shown a muted response, with the ZEC token price remaining below $700. The full impact depends on a successful mainnet launch and the eventual implementation of Zcash Shielded Assets, which was delayed.
The NU7 upgrade, now active on the Zcash testnet, brings a trio of key enhancements designed to improve the network's performance and sustainability. The most significant change is the reduction of block generation time to 25 seconds, a 3x acceleration that will allow for much faster transaction confirmations. To handle this increased speed without causing network instability from orphan blocks, developers have optimized peer synchronization algorithms.
Second, the upgrade establishes a Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM). With miner rewards diminishing after previous halvings, the NSM creates a dedicated fund by redirecting a portion of transaction fees that were previously burned. This fund is intended to provide long-term financial support for the network's miners.
Finally, NU7 tackles network spam. Previously, attackers could clog the network with transactions containing over a thousand addresses while paying a minimal fee. The new system calculates fees based on the number of inputs and outputs, making such spam attacks prohibitively expensive while keeping standard transaction costs low.
Despite the significant technical improvements, the market has reacted with indifference. As of writing, Zcash (ZEC) is trading at approximately $633.35, representing a 4.68% decline over the past 24 hours, according to the source material. Investors appear to be waiting for the upgrade to prove its stability on the testnet and for an official mainnet launch date to be announced.
Adding to the cautious sentiment is the postponement of the v6 transaction format. This change was removed from the NU7 scope due to complex code modifications that could have threatened network stability and broken compatibility with hardware wallets like Ledger and Keystone. This delay also postpones the launch of Zcash Shielded Assets (ZSAs), a feature anticipated to transform Zcash into a multi-asset platform for private tokens and stablecoins.
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