Zcash coinholders have delivered clear direction for Network Upgrade 7, backing a sharp reduction in block times while preserving the network's existing Bitcoin-style halving schedule. Results from the recent vote show overwhelming majorities in favor of the core proposals that will shape the privacy-focused blockchain's next phase of development.

Approximately 2.4 million ZEC took part, representing about two-thirds of the 3.6 million eligible tokens at the snapshot. Turnout far exceeded the 1 million ZEC minimum set by organizers to treat the outcome as representative and marked a substantial rise from earlier community sentiment polls.

Strong Support for Faster Confirmations

Participating holders gave 99.9 percent support to cutting the target block interval to 25 seconds from the current 75 seconds. The change is intended to shorten the expected wait for a transaction's first confirmation. To keep scheduled daily issuance constant, the amount of new ZEC created per block would decline in proportion to the faster rate.

Eligibility required holdings of spendable ZEC in the Ironwood shielded pool. Ballots were encrypted and divided into sixteen components so that validators could tally results without linking votes to individual identities or specific balances.

Halving Schedule Preserved

A 98.9 percent majority favored retaining the current halving schedule rather than shifting to a smoother, gradual reduction in issuance. Halvings cut the block reward by half at predetermined intervals, aligning Zcash monetary policy more closely with Bitcoin's model. The alternative would have replaced those discrete cuts with a continuous decline in new-coin creation.

An earlier advisory-panel poll showed a narrower divide on the same question, with 57 members preferring a gradual curve and 54 supporting retention of halvings. Coinholder preference proved far more decisive.

Network Sustainability Mechanism Delayed

Holders also addressed the Network Sustainability Mechanism, which directs a portion of transaction fees into a pool for later recycling into block rewards while respecting the 21 million ZEC supply cap. Roughly 96.6 to 97 percent of the vote supported postponing any reissuance of those accumulated funds until February 2031. Only a small fraction favored an earlier start.

Several affiliated groups, including Shielded Labs, Project Tachyon, ZODL, the Zcash Foundation and Valar Group, indicated they interpret the result as a clear preference for the later date.

Path to Activation Remains Open

The coinholder poll does not itself activate any code. Development teams still must implement, audit and integrate the selected features. Organizers plan to finalize items for the upgrade by a September 30 cutoff. Features not ready by that date are expected to be deferred rather than delay the entire release. Testnet and mainnet activation schedules have not been set.

Holders also favored launching NU7 as soon as practicable once the ready components are complete. The vote stands separate from parallel consultations with other community bodies such as ZecHub and the Zcash Community Advisory Panel.

Zcash continues to rely on zero-knowledge proofs to shield transaction details. NU7 forms the latest step in a sequence of upgrades aimed at improving performance, privacy tooling and long-term economic sustainability without altering the fixed maximum supply.