Zcash NU7 is about to freeze about $16 million left in its oldest privacy pool
Holders have until roughly Thursday evening ET to move Sprout coins before version-4 transactions are rejected. NU7 also cuts target block time from 75 seconds to 25.
TL;DR
- About 12,226 ZEC remained in Zcash's Sprout shielded pool on Thursday morning, Nov. 5, 2026, down from roughly 22,263 a week earlier, CoinDesk reported, citing ZecStats.
- NU7 activates at block 3,543,405 and, per ZIP 2003, disallows version-4 transactions — the only format that can spend Sprout funds — making leftover balances unspendable even with valid keys.
- At about $1,300 per ZEC, the remaining Sprout balance was worth roughly $16 million; ZIP 2003 leaves open a future restoration but warns spending may never return.
- NU7 also cuts the target time between blocks from 75 seconds to 25, shortening a three-confirmation wait from nearly four minutes to about 75 seconds.
Zcash holders have less than a day to move coins out of Sprout, the network's oldest privacy pool, before an upgrade makes leftover balances unspendable — even for people who still hold the private keys. CoinDesk reported on Nov. 5, 2026 that about 12,226 ZEC remained in Sprout on Thursday morning, worth roughly $16 million at about $1,300 per ZEC.
That pile was already shrinking. A week earlier Sprout held about 22,263 ZEC, according to ZecStats data cited by CoinDesk. Most of the exit came on Sunday, when about 9,094 ZEC left; only about 40 ZEC followed on Wednesday.
What NU7 changes
The deadline is NU7, scheduled for block 3,543,405. At block 3,542,391 at 05:24 UTC Thursday, CoinDesk estimated activation near 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday, depending on how fast miners find blocks.
ZIP 2003 — "Disallow version 4 transactions" — is the rule that bites. From NU7 onward, transaction version numbers must be 5 or 6. Neither the v5 format (NU5) nor the v6 format (NU6.3) supports Sprout. Because Sprout transfers can only be represented in v4 transactions, disallowing v4 also disables spending Sprout funds.
ZIP 2003 is explicit that Sprout funds are not burned or unissued. They stay in the issued supply, and a future upgrade could theoretically restore access — "However, the ability to spend Sprout funds may never be re-enabled."
Why the network is doing this
Sprout launched with Zcash in October 2016 and has been superseded by Sapling and Orchard. ZIP 2003 says keeping Sprout's JoinSplit circuit and nullifier handling on live acceptance paths adds complexity and denial-of-service risk for little use. The deprecation of zcashd also removed the only maintained wallet that still supported Sprout.
Separately, CoinDesk's markets desk said Zcash rose about 11.7% to roughly $1,318 with about $1.2 billion in 24-hour volume ahead of the upgrade, which also cuts target block time from 75 to 25 seconds. An exchange waiting for three confirmations would see the expected wait fall from nearly four minutes to about 75 seconds, if it keeps that requirement unchanged.
What it means for Web3 teams – Analysis
Protocol deprecations freeze value when migration windows are ignored. Teams that custody privacy-coin balances need an inventory of shielded-pool versions, not just ticker exposure — and a calendar for consensus changes that turn "valid keys" into dead wood. This is not investment advice.
FAQ
What happens to ZEC left in Sprout after NU7?
Under ZIP 2003, v4 transactions are rejected, so Sprout balances become unspendable even with valid keys. The coins remain part of issued supply; a future upgrade could restore access, but ZIP 2003 warns that may never happen.
When does NU7 activate?
At mainnet block 3,543,405. CoinDesk estimated roughly 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, from the block height at 05:24 UTC that morning.
How much is still in Sprout?
About 12,226 ZEC on Thursday morning, down from about 22,263 a week earlier, per ZecStats via CoinDesk — roughly $16 million at about $1,300 per ZEC.
What else does NU7 change?
It cuts the target time between blocks from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, shortening multi-confirmation waits.
Sources
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