Zcash NU7 upgrade goes live, leaves 12,224 ZEC stranded in Sprout pool
Summary
Zcash’s NU7 upgrade activated at block 3,543,405, making roughly 12,224 ZEC—about $15 million—in the legacy Sprout shielded pool unspendable because the upgrade rejects the only transaction format that can move those funds. The coins were not burned, and a future upgrade could restore access, though that may never happen. NU7 also targets 25-second block intervals, introduces a mechanism to remove 60% of transaction fees from circulation for possible reissuance through mining rewards from around 2031, and adds limits on shielded activity. The upgrade retains Zcash’s 21 million ZEC supply cap and halving schedule.
