gm Bankless Nation, there's a lot happening with the Ethereum roadmap right now, so let's get caught up on where the OG smart contract platform is headed.
gm Bankless Nation, There's a lot happening with the Ethereum roadmap right now, so let's get caught up on where the OG smart contract platform is headed.
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Daily Market Snapshot: Virtually every coin in the top 100 projects by market cap is in the green by at least a few percentage points today, marking a reversal from last week's selloffs.
Ethereum continues to steadily evolve behind the scenes. Amid continued debate over the world computer’s “proper” roadmap, developers have been forging ahead, steadily preparing two major upgrades: Pectra (planned for May 2025) and Fusaka (targeted for late 2025).
Each comes equipped with its own nuances like improved validator efficiency, bigger data capacity for Layer 2 rollups, and advanced wallet capabilities — all intended to make Ethereum more scalable and accessible.
In this article, we’ll cover these upgrades in detail, providing you with a deep sense of how these upgrades fit into Ethereum's broader effort to stay ahead of user demand, remain secure, and build a more user-friendly network. Let’s dive in!
⏭️ What Pectra Brings Ethereum
After repeated delays and testnet incidents, Pectra is now set to roll out on mainnet around May 2025, bringing improvements with it to staking, blobs, and account abstraction. Here are the upgrades at its core:
Staking and Validator Upgrades
Perhaps the biggest code change since Ethereum introduced validator withdrawals during Shapella will come through an update commonly called “MaxEB.”
Under the current rules, each validator can only earn rewards on 32 ETH — the maximum effective balance (MaxEB) — meaning large staking providers like Lido or Coinbase spin up multiple validator nodes to stake beyond 32 ETH. While a large validator set sounds good for decentralization, it can be more cosmetic since they’re usually operating under one umbrella anyway, and it also slows down the network, adding heavier overhead for all.
Pectra will change that by increasing the MaxEB from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, a major jump proposed under EIP-7251. As a result, large-scale stakers and operators can consolidate their existing validators, freeing up bandwidth across the network and making it run more smoothly. At the same time, it won’t affect the minimum needed to run a validator, which stays at 32 ETH, though now solo stakers can also stake even more, with their staking rewards compounding automatically.
While this may sound centralizing, remember it also increases the penalty for poor behavior. For instance, slashing penalties — the amounts validators forfeit if they act maliciously — are proportional to how much ETH they have at stake. Anyone running a validator with 2,048 ETH would face a punishingly high initial slashing penalty if something went wrong.
Blob Data Capacity Increase
On the scalability front, Pectra builds on top of the Dencun hardfork (EIP-4844), which introduced “blobs” as a cheaper way for L2s to post data on Ethereum.
But as on-chain usage grows, blob fees have been rising as they continue to hit above their target amount per block. Pectra addresses this by increasing the minimum blob capacity from three to six and raising the maximum average blob per block from six to nine (via EIP-7691). In other words, it boosts current capacity so L2s can keep fees low and continue to call Ethereum home.
This seems like it will just be the start, with Vitalik stating his ideal target is 48/72 blobs, a huge jump, though given the relatively moderate increase expected in Pectra, this will likely be a ways off. This entire debate remains one of the Ethereum community’s most contested topics, with researchers and $ETH holders split on whether to prioritize supporting the average L2 user or to preserve ETH’s economic value, which some view blob space as weakening.
It’s a delicate balancing act that forces Ethereum to make hard calls about who it's ultimately optimizing for. Time will tell which tradeoff leads to a stronger long-term future.
A long-time buzzword for Ethereum has been account abstraction: letting normal wallets add “smart” features, like social recovery or auto-approved transactions.
The end result? More user-friendly wallets without all the complicated steps for setup and security. Refining the original EIP-4337 for account abstraction, EIP-7702 in Pectra will allow standard Ethereum addresses to bundle transactions, sponsor gas fees, and use advanced authentication methods like passkeys. Users can also set spending limits or use social recovery to regain control if they lose their keys. In short, fewer pop-ups, fewer headaches, and an overall smoother experience that’s more welcoming to newcomers while allowing more personalization for OGs.
Once Pectra wraps up, eyes turn to the following upgrade, Fusaka, which Vitalik wants on testnet as soon as Pectra goes live. The current target is late 2025. While this could shift, the scope of the upgrade will likely remain the same, centering around a few core updates:
For 2025 we need Fusaka on L1 with PeerDAS, ideally with 48/72 blob target/limit
Let's aim to get a Fusaka testnet with these blob parameters running the day after Pectra goes live.
One of Fusaka’s major goals is improving data availability with something called PeerDAS. Right now, every Ethereum node has to download all the data in each block, which slows things down and raises the bar for anyone wanting to run a node.
PeerDAS flips that model — each node only downloads a small part of the data and uses cryptographic checks to confirm the full dataset is still out there. Think of it like a crowd at a concert, each recording a snippet of the show; no one has the whole video, but together, they can prove the full event happened.
This change makes it much easier for nodes to do their job by cutting down on how much data they need to store and share, which helps Ethereum handle a lot more activity. But there’s a catch: validators still need to check certain pieces of the data to ensure everything’s running smoothly. Right now, the system that gives out those pieces depends on how many validators are active, and if that number changes quickly — if a bunch leave or merge — it can cause problems. Rest assured, though: since PeerDAS is a top priority before other upgrades, it is already being tested, and Ethereum core devs have been told to prioritize it before moving on to other upgrades. If successful, it will boost Ethereum’s scalability, make running a node more accessible, and keep the network decentralized even as usage grows.
Ethereum Object Format (EOF)
Another feature central to Fusaka comes from the overhaul of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) through a function called the Ethereum Object Format (EOF).
This upgrade modernizes how smart contracts are structured by clearly separating a contract’s code from its data, improving security, and making the whole system more organized.
As the largest developer environment, firming up the EVM via the EOF will go a long way toward making smart contracts easier and safer to write, helping developers avoid common errors and vulnerabilities. Further, by targeting the core structure of Ethereum contracts, EOF sets the stage for faster and more reliable development going forward.
Minimalist Approach
Overall, Fusaka is being designed with a “less is more” philosophy. Developers want to keep the upgrade focused on just a few key changes — namely PeerDAS and EOF — so it can be tested and shipped faster without introducing too much complexity at once.
That said, a few other proposals are still being considered. One is EIP-7688, which builds on an earlier upgrade (EIP-4788) that lets smart contracts check important network info — like who the current validators are or what the latest block is — so they can make decisions based on it.
If the team decides PeerDAS needs full attention first, EIP-7688 might be pushed to an even later upgrade. But for now, Fusaka remains intentionally lean, with a sharp focus on the changes that matter most.
Ethereum’s development continues to march ahead. While it may seem slow and marred with delays, the amount of value riding on its stability — billions of dollars, to be precise — means extensive testing must be a priority, not a luxury.
Thus, Pectra and Fusaka, after it, will continue in this stead, going through the necessary trials to make sure they indeed achieve their goals.
Further, while Layer 1 execution scaling remains an ongoing priority, it’s not the direct main focus of these upcoming upgrades, which are more geared towards scaling L2 functionality and increasing the network’s accessibility for users and developers alike. Yet, tests to scale the L1 by increasing block limits are already underway!
Overall, though, between Pectra and Fusaka, Ethereum stands poised to significantly expand its foundation, making life easier for L2s and their users while also firming up its core with MaxEB and Ethereum Object Format. Together, these upgrades keep the blockchain on its course of being a secure, scalable network that remains welcoming to both newcomers and veterans alike.
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The Pectra upgrade, Fusaka, and even Glamsterdam are all in the pipeline, bringing major improvements to security, scalability, and account abstraction. But what do these updates actually mean for Ethereum’s future? And how do they shape the network’s long-term vision?
In this episode, David sits down with Tim Beiko, Ethereum’s core dev coordinator, to break it all down. They dive into the impact of MaxEB for validators, Ethereum’s growing blob space for Layer 2s, the push towards account abstraction with EIP-7702, and the ambitious scaling goals of Pure DAS in Fusaka.
If you want to understand where Ethereum is headed next—and why it’s time to get aggressive—don’t miss this one. Watch the full episode now! 👇
Not financial or tax advice. Bankless content is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
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