$ETH latest update

The latest major Ethereum upgrade, known as Pectra, is scheduled for May 2025. This update focuses on enhancing scalability, staking efficiency, and user experience. Key improvements include increasing the maximum stake per validator from 32 ETH up to 2048 ETH (EIP-7251), and introducing smart contract capabilities to externally owned accounts (EOAs) through EIP-7702, which aims to improve wallet functionality and user interactions .  

Prior to Pectra, Ethereum implemented the Dencun upgrade in March 2024. This upgrade introduced EIP-4844 (proto-danksharding), which significantly reduced Layer 2 transaction fees by enabling temporary data storage via “blobs,” thereby improving scalability and lowering costs for rollups . 

To ensure the stability of these enhancements, Ethereum developers have introduced a third testnet named “Hoodi,” which has slightly delayed the mainnet launch of Pectra .