Zcash price plunges as leveraged longs unwind after NU7
Published on 11/10/2026 at 18:40 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSSharp sell-off after NU7
- Zcash fell from USD 1,196.98 to USD 1,003.22 on November 10 in less than two hours, according to CryptoTicker.
- The NU7 upgrade went live on November 6, cutting the target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds.
- A follow-on proposal would reduce the target block time to 20 seconds, but no activation date has been set.
- CryptoTicker linked the sell-off to broader market weakness and leveraged long liquidations rather than a reported Zcash-specific outage or attack.
The Zcash price suffered a sharp intraday setback on November 10, after the privacy-focused cryptocurrency had recently attracted attention for its NU7 network upgrade. According to CryptoTicker, ZEC traded at USD 1,196.98 at around 16:00 Berlin time before falling to USD 1,003.22 shortly before 17:45. At about 17:50, it was near USD 1,015, roughly 14 percent below the previous day's level.
Leverage amplified the decline
CryptoTicker's analysis found no reported Zcash-specific hack, delisting or network outage behind the move by early evening. Instead, it pointed to a weak crypto market and the unwinding of leveraged long positions. On OKX, open interest in Zcash contracts fell from about USD 162 million to about USD 130 million between 16:00 and 17:50 Berlin time, while the publication's review of recent liquidations showed substantially more long than short positions being forcibly closed.
That market structure helps explain the speed of the decline, but it does not establish that any single event caused the move. For investors, the episode underlines the risk of treating a strong prior rally as a low-risk trend: thin spot liquidity and derivatives leverage can magnify both gains and losses.
NU7 has changed the network
The sell-off followed the activation of NU7 at block 3,543,405 at 02:34 UTC on November 6. CoinDesk Research reported that the upgrade reduced the target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds without increasing ZEC issuance or changing the 21 million coin supply cap. It also directs 60 percent of transaction fees to a reserve for future mining rewards, with miners retaining 40 percent.
NU7 also ended the validity of older version 4 transactions. CoinDesk Research reported that approximately 12,224 ZEC remained in the retired Sprout pool at activation and became unspendable under the new rules. A possible recovery mechanism has been discussed, but no such mechanism had been approved in the report.
Next upgrade remains a proposal
Developers have since circulated a draft for a follow-on NU7.1 upgrade that would reduce the target block time from 25 seconds to 20 seconds. The proposal would adjust shielded-action limits and issuance parameters proportionally so that daily limits and the broader issuance schedule remain comparable in wall-clock terms. It is not an activated network change, and no activation date has been set.
The Zcash price therefore remains exposed to two separate factors: the practical effects of the completed NU7 upgrade and the high short-term volatility visible in leveraged markets. Investors should distinguish confirmed protocol changes from draft proposals and treat the quoted intraday levels as historical readings for November 10, not as price targets.
More coverage is available on the Zcash topic page.
