Zcash plans to activate NU7 on November 5: ZEC from the Sprout pool will be unspendable

The privacy blockchain project Zcash plans to implement the NU7 upgrade, which will stop accepting the fourth version of transactions that spend funds from the Sprout pool after the upgrade. If ZEC is not transferred out before the upgrade, holders may lose the ability to spend the related funds. This proposal will not destroy the Sprout pool funds, and access may be restored in the future, but the proposal warns that funds left in the pool may also become permanently unspendable.

Zcash co-founder Zooko Wilcox has forwarded the relevant reminder. The NU7 upgrade is scheduled to activate on the testnet on October 6, and Zcash expects to decide on October 20 whether to activate it on the mainnet as planned on November 5. The upgrade will also reduce the target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds and maintain the network halving cycle.