Zcash Holders Vote Overwhelmingly For Faster Blocks And Bitcoin-Style Halvings

Zcash holders backed major changes to the network’s upcoming NU7 upgrade in a privacy-preserving governance vote, with nearly 2.4 million ZEC, roughly two-thirds of eligible tokens, taking part.

Faster Transactions Win Strong Support

About 99.9% of participating ZEC voted to cut block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, which would let users see transactions confirmed more quickly. Another 98.9% voted to preserve Zcash’s existing bitcoin style halving schedule, rejecting a proposal to replace scheduled reward cuts with a smoother, gradual issuance curve. Holders also voted 96.6% to delay reissuing ZEC collected through the network’s sustainability mechanism until February 2031, and nearly 99.3% supported shipping NU7 as soon as possible rather than waiting for every proposed feature to be finished by the September 30 deadline.

A Uniquely Private Voting System

Only ZEC held in Zcash’s shielded Ironwood pool could participate, meaning votes counted toward each holder’s actual token balance without revealing that balance or the holder’s identity. Ballots were encrypted and split into 16 pieces, allowing validators to tally the overall result without ever reconstructing who voted or how much they held.

This marks a significant jump from an earlier February sentiment poll, which drew participation from just over 7% of circulating ZEC and revealed sharp disagreements between holders and the network’s advisory panel.

The vote gives developers clearer direction for finalizing NU7, though the approved features still need to be built, tested and included in the eventual upgrade.