In a significant move for Ethereum, the network’s developers have successfully activated the highly anticipated Pectra update. Hailed as one of the most substantial updates since the landmark 2022 merge, Pectra introduces a robust set of improvements designed to enhance the Ethereum ecosystem. With the implementation of 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), the update promises to elevate network efficiency, streamline user experiences, optimize validators, and push the boundaries of second-layer scalability.

Activated at epoch 364032 at around 6:05 a.m. Eastern Time, Pectra’s deployment marks a major milestone. Despite configuration hiccups in test networks like Holesky and Sepolia prior to launch, the successful deployment of the Hoodi network in March 2025 laid the groundwork for this momentous update on the mainnet.

Building upon the Dencun update from March 2024, Pectra further refines Ethereum’s capabilities, most notably with EIP-4844, which introduces proto-sharding. This ongoing development promises a future where Ethereum's performance can grow exponentially. The Fusaka update, scheduled for future activation, will continue this trajectory, bringing new scaling techniques like Werksley and PeerDAS trees into the fold.

Here’s a breakdown of the key EIPs introduced in the Pectra update and how they stand to shape the Ethereum experience for users and validators alike:

EIP-7702: Account Abstraction

One of the headline features of Pectra is the introduction of Account Abstraction via EIP-7702. This innovation enables wallets to function like smart contracts, allowing third parties to pay gas fees on behalf of users. Crucially, this update reduces the need for users to hold ETH in their wallets to interact with the network, making cryptocurrency usage more accessible. Users can also bundle multiple actions into a single transaction, further reducing gas costs.

In addition, this paves the way for exciting future features, such as social media-based key recovery—helping users regain access to their accounts if they lose their keys.

EIP-7251: Validator Limits Extended

Pectra introduces EIP-7251, which increases the maximum effective balance for validators from 32 ETH to a hefty 2048 ETH. This allows large-scale stakeholders to consolidate several validators into one, thereby reducing network load and simplifying validator management. However, critics argue that this could lead to centralization, as larger operators and pools may dominate the network’s validator space.

EIP-7691: Boosting Blob Throughput

The update includes EIP-7691, which doubles the throughput of blobs, scaling the network’s second-layer solutions. The target value increases from 3 to 6 blobs, with a maximum value of 9. This change will significantly improve the performance of solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism, resulting in lower transaction fees and a smoother, more efficient experience for Ethereum users.

EIP-7002: Validator Output Management

To increase security and improve the withdrawal process, EIP-7002 allows validators to manage outputs directly from the execution layer, reducing reliance on active keys. This minimizes the risk of hot-key attacks, reinforcing the network’s security architecture.

EIP-2935: Storing Historical Block Hashes

EIP-2935 brings a major improvement by enabling Ethereum to store the hashes of recent blocks in a state, rather than in temporary memory. This makes these hashes accessible to smart contracts, enhancing the reliability of cross-layer communication and interactions with oracles, as well as the verification of historical data.

EIP-6110: Validator Activation Speed

With EIP-6110, the activation time for new validators drops from 12 hours to a mere 13 minutes. This not only speeds up the integration of new participants into the network but also streamlines processes for large staking operators looking to scale quickly.

Additional Improvements:

Beyond these major changes, Pectra also incorporates several additional upgrades designed to improve the overall network efficiency:

  • EIP-7623: Raises data transmission costs to incentivize blob utilization.

  • EIP-2537: Introduces pre-compilation methods that reduce gas costs for cryptographic checks.


  • EIP-7685: Simplifies the process for validators to query and deposit funds.


  • EIP-7549: Enhances consensus-level operations for validators.


  • EIP-7840: Introduces basic tariffs for blobs, ensuring stable fees for second-tier users.

Impact on Users and Developers

With these improvements, Ethereum users can look forward to a more stable, cost-efficient, and scalable experience. Transactions will be faster, cheaper, and more accessible, while developers will be empowered to create more efficient and feature-rich decentralized applications (dApps). However, not everyone is convinced by the changes. Some worry that the expanded validator limits and other updates could increase the centralization of the network, which may undermine the decentralized ethos Ethereum was built on.


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