Zcash developers have agreed on a target block for the upcoming NU7 upgrade, bringing the privacy-focused blockchain closer to a network update that will triple transaction processing speed.

Developer Sean Bowe submitted a proposal on Tuesday to activate NU7 at block 3,543,405. The target was agreed upon by Zcash Improvement Proposal (ZIP) editors, who oversee changes to the network’s protocol rules.

Zakura’s public upgrade dashboard now shows block 3,543,405 as the planned mainnet activation point, with the launch expected around Nov. 5.

The upgrade will shorten Zcash’s block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. This could significantly reduce the time users wait for payment confirmations. For example, an exchange requiring three confirmations before crediting a ZEC deposit could reduce the waiting time from nearly four minutes to about 75 seconds. NU7 has been running on Zcash’s testnet since early October.

The update will also take 60% of transaction fees collected in each block out of circulation. These funds are expected to be returned to miners beginning around February 2031, while Zcash’s existing mining reward halving schedule will remain in place.

NU7 will also permanently disable Sprout, Zcash’s original privacy system. Any coins remaining in Sprout addresses when the upgrade activates will become unspendable, requiring holders to move their funds before the anticipated early-November launch.

Despite agreement on the target block, the activation process remains incomplete. Bowe’s proposal had received two approvals but had not been merged into the deployment specification as of 08:00 UTC Wednesday. The specification still showed the mainnet activation height as undecided.

The selected height must be formally added to the deployment specification and incorporated into node software before the upgrade can be activated.