Zebra

Zcash has activated its NU7 upgrade on public testnet ahead of a planned mainnet rollout on Nov. 5. The change cuts the target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds while adjusting rewards, fees and legacy Sprout transaction support.

Gemini has replaced Zebra with Zakura for its Zcash systems, saying the newer software caught up with the network in just over six hours during deployments. The change comes as Zcash developers prepare the NU7 upgrade, which would cut block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds.

Zakura has launched as a new Zcash full node designed to speed synchronization, support pruning, and maintain compatibility with legacy zcashd integrations. The release lands as Zcash developers prepare for Ironwood and pursue a broader plan to scale private payments toward Visa- and Mastercard-level throughput.