When will the next Ethereum upgrade start?

The Ethereum Pectra major upgrade, which combines the Prague and Electra updates, went live on May 7, 2025.

The upgrade introduces 11 key changes aimed at improving speed, cost-effectiveness, and usability.

Highlights include increasing the validator staking cap from 32 ETH to 2048 ETH, enhancing activation speed, and achieving account abstraction, allowing wallets to act as smart contracts. These updates enhance scalability and optimize staking functionality, user experience, and developer tools.

The upcoming upgrade aims to improve the network's performance and usability. Learn more

Overview of Ethereum Major Upgrades

The Merge

The Ethereum mainnet merged with the beacon chain, transitioning to a more energy-efficient proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.

Proto-danksharding

EIP-4844 proposes to increase the block size to 2 MB as a temporary solution to Ethereum's network congestion issues, thereby reducing gas fees and improving network efficiency.

Pectra Upgrade

The Pectra upgrade strengthens Ethereum's execution layer and consensus layer, introducing EIP-7251 and EIP-7702 to optimize the staking mechanism and achieve account abstraction. These improvements enhance scalability and wallet usability.

What impact does the Ethereum Pectra upgrade have on me?

At the time of writing, staked ETH accounts for 28% of its total supply. The Pectra upgrade will affect Ethereum staking, which is important for Ethereum holders. EIP-7251 raises the validator staking cap from 32 ETH to 2048 ETH, supporting more efficient capital allocation. Meanwhile, EIP-7702 allows wallets to temporarily act as smart contracts, enabling features like bundled transactions and flexible gas payments. Will the Pectra upgrade affect ETH prices? The impact of the Pectra upgrade on ETH prices remains to be seen. Users should conduct their own research as before and make appropriate decisions based on their financial situation.