Zcash developers have proposed shortening the network's target block interval from 25 seconds to 20 seconds, a change aimed at delivering faster transaction confirmations just days after the NU7 upgrade went live on mainnet.
Developers ValarDragon and Evan Forbes submitted a draft Zcash Improvement Proposal (ZIP) on the Zcash community forum on Sunday. According to the proposal, the developers want the change included in the next community poll and considered for the upcoming NU7.1 network upgrade.
What the proposal would change
The reduction would shorten the expected wait for initial transaction confirmations. The proposal states that this would improve the user experience for point-of-sale payments, exchange deposits and cross-chain swaps.
The developers said the change would not increase the network's overall daily capacity for private transactions. They also said the proposal would preserve Zcash's existing issuance schedule, even though blocks would be produced more frequently.
NU7 cut intervals from 75 to 25 seconds
The draft ZIP follows the activation of the NU7 upgrade on Friday, which reduced the network's target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds.
NU7 also introduced a Network Sustainability Mechanism designed to recycle a portion of transaction fees into future mining rewards while preserving Zcash's 21 million ZEC supply cap.
The new proposal remains a draft and would need to advance through the community poll and the NU7.1 upgrade process before any change to the block interval takes effect.
