# Zcash Upgrade Could Lock $16 Million in Crypto Forever

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/zcash-upgrade-could-lock-16-million-in-crypto-forever/
- Published: 2026-11-05T19:46:03+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T20:38:21+00:00
- Original publisher: Decrypt
- Original article: https://decrypt.co/382663/zcash-upgrade-could-lock-16-million-crypto
- Topics: Business, Crypto

## Key points

- About 12,224 ZEC could become inaccessible.
- Sprout holders must withdraw before block 3,543,405.
- NU7 also aims to make confirmations three times faster.

## Summary

Zcash’s planned NU7 upgrade could make around 12,224 ZEC held in its original Sprout privacy pool inaccessible, worth an estimated US$15 million to US$16 million at recent prices. The change matters because affected owners may lose the ability to move their funds even if they still have their wallet passwords and private keys.

NU7 will invalidate version-4 transactions, the only format that can withdraw coins from Sprout, when the network reaches block 3,543,405. Sprout has been superseded by newer privacy systems and closed to new deposits for years; developers say dropping its outdated technology reduces complexity and security risks. The coins will not be destroyed, and access might theoretically return through a future upgrade, but that is not guaranteed. NU7 is also set to shorten Zcash’s target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.