Zcash proposes 20-second blocks after NU7 cuts intervals to 25

Zcash developers have proposed cutting the network’s target block interval from 25 seconds to 20 seconds, days after the NU7 upgrade reduced it from 75 seconds.

On Sunday, ValarDragon and Evan Forbes posted a draft Zcash Improvement Proposal (ZIP) on the Zcash community forum. They want the next community poll to include it and developers to consider it for the upcoming NU7.1 network upgrade. The proposal arrives just days after NU7 went live on Zcash’s mainnet on Friday.

What does this change for Zcash users?

The immediate target is a shorter expected wait for initial transaction confirmations. ValarDragon and Evan Forbes wrote that the change would “improve the user experience for point-of-sale payments, exchange deposits and cross-chain swaps.”

Zcash now targets a block every 25 seconds. The draft would set that target at 20 seconds. Its named beneficiaries are merchants accepting point-of-sale payments, users depositing funds on exchanges, and participants moving assets through cross-chain swaps. Each faces the same operational change: less scheduled waiting between target blocks.

That makes this a latency adjustment for everyday payment and deposit flows. The proposal does not present the change as a step toward higher daily private-transaction capacity, and it leaves Zcash’s existing issuance schedule intact.

Capacity and issuance stay unchanged

ValarDragon and Forbes said the proposal “would not increase the network’s overall daily capacity for private transactions.” They also said it would preserve the existing issuance schedule despite more frequent block production.

The distinction between speed and capacity matters here. A shorter interval changes how often Zcash schedules blocks. The developers said the draft does not add capacity for private transactions per day. It also does not alter when new ZEC enters circulation under the current schedule.

NU7 already introduced a separate mechanism for funding and supply. The upgrade added the Network Sustainability Mechanism, designed to recycle a portion of transaction fees into future mining rewards while preserving Zcash’s 21 million ZEC supply cap. The new draft changes target spacing while leaving the existing issuance schedule unchanged.

The chronology frames the next debate. NU7 first reduced the interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds and added the fee-recycling mechanism; the proposed 20-second target would be a second adjustment within days, but it remains a separate draft requiring its own community vote and NU7.1 review.

Governance decides whether NU7.1 adopts the change

The draft must first enter the next community poll. If the community includes it, developers can consider the proposal for the upcoming NU7.1 upgrade. The proposal material gives no polling deadline, activation date or implementation timetable.

Until that process advances and NU7.1 includes the ZIP, Zcash’s mainnet target remains 25 seconds. The current schedule therefore offers a clear benchmark against which the community can judge the proposed 20-second interval.

A separate governance issue appeared in related coverage. According to a linked report, a Zcash grants group offered a $124 million compromise as governance backlash grew. The report did not identify the group or describe the terms, so that development remains separate from the block-time proposal.

The next community poll is the immediate decision point. Until it advances the ZIP and NU7.1 adopts it, Zcash’s mainnet target stays at 25 seconds.