Zcash’s NU7 upgrade now withholds 60% of each block’s transaction fees from immediate miner payments, directing the funds toward a reserve tied to future rewards.
NU7 took effect Nov. 5 at block 3,543,405. The upgrade cut the target interval between blocks to 25 seconds from 75 seconds, a change EconoTimes covered in its report on the activation and shorter block target.
Under the new split, miners receive 40% of fees as each block is processed; the remaining 60% goes to the reserve. The Zcash Foundation’s schedule sets reserve-backed block rewards to begin at block 8,939,664, expected around February 2031.
NU7 also ended spending from Sprout, Zcash’s original pool, by invalidating version 4 transactions required to spend funds there. ZecStats recorded 12,224.21 ZEC in the pool at activation. ZIP 2003 keeps the balance in Zcash’s issued supply even though the funds are no longer spendable under current rules; EconoTimes previously covered the Sprout funds left unspendable.
