Layla Zulfa
The Ethereum ecosystem is embarking on a new strategic phase for its core protocol development, as announced in a recent update detailing a significant restructuring of its "Protocol" initiatives. Introduced in June of the previous year (2025), the Protocol framework initially organized development efforts around three pillars: Scale L1, Scale Blobs, and Improve UX. Following a highly productive 2025 that saw two major network upgrades and substantial progress across the board, the Ethereum Foundation has refined its approach, reorganizing its work into three more integrated and holistic tracks for 2026: Scale, Improve UX, and a newly established "Harden the L1" initiative. This strategic evolution underscores Ethereum’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its foundational blockchain, preparing it for unprecedented global adoption while upholding its core tenets of decentralization, security, and user empowerment.
A Transformative Year: Ethereum’s 2025 Milestones Pave the Way
The year 2025 stands out as one of Ethereum’s most impactful periods for protocol-level advancements, delivering critical upgrades that laid robust groundwork for future growth. The development community successfully shipped two pivotal network upgrades—Pectra and Fusaka—alongside a suite of other improvements designed to boost performance, reduce costs, and enhance the developer and user experience. These achievements reflect a coordinated effort by a global network of researchers, client teams, and community contributors, showcasing the decentralized nature of Ethereum’s innovation engine.
The Pectra Upgrade: Enhancing User Flexibility and Network Throughput
The first major network upgrade of 2025, Pectra, successfully landed on the Ethereum mainnet in May. This upgrade was a landmark event, particularly due to the inclusion of EIP-7702, a proposal that introduced a paradigm shift in how Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) interact with the blockchain. EIP-7702 enabled EOAs to temporarily execute smart contract code within a transaction, effectively blurring the lines between traditional EOAs and more feature-rich smart contract wallets. This innovation unlocked a host of new possibilities, including streamlined transaction batching, where multiple operations can be combined into a single transaction, significantly reducing gas costs and improving efficiency. Furthermore, it paved the way for advanced features like gas sponsorship, allowing third parties to cover transaction fees for users, and sophisticated social recovery mechanisms, offering enhanced security and user control over digital assets. For mainstream users, this meant a smoother, more intuitive, and less intimidating entry point into the decentralized world.
Beyond EIP-7702, Pectra also delivered crucial scaling improvements. EIP-7691 notably doubled blob throughput, addressing a critical need for increased data availability, particularly for Layer 2 (L2) rollups. Blobs, introduced with the Dencun upgrade, provide a cost-effective way for L2s to post transaction data to the mainnet. Doubling their capacity directly translated to lower transaction costs and higher throughput for applications built on L2s, benefiting millions of users interacting with DeFi, NFTs, and other dApps. Additionally, EIP-7251 raised the maximum effective validator balance to 2,048 ETH, a move aimed at enhancing the flexibility and efficiency of staking operations, potentially attracting larger institutional stakers while maintaining the network’s decentralized validator set. To further improve the staking experience and network health, EIP-6110 dramatically shortened validator onboarding times, reducing the waiting period for new validators to join the network and begin earning rewards, thus contributing to greater network security and decentralization.
Fusaka’s Data Availability Leap: Revolutionizing Blob Capacity
Building on the momentum of Pectra, the Fusaka upgrade followed in December, marking another monumental step in Ethereum’s scaling journey. The centerpiece of Fusaka was the deployment of EIP-7594, which brought PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling) to the mainnet. PeerDAS represents a significant leap forward in how validators handle blob data. Instead of requiring validators to download and store the entirety of blob data, PeerDAS enables them to sample small portions of the data, cryptographically verifying its availability without the need for full download. This innovative approach dramatically reduces bandwidth requirements for node operators, making it easier and less resource-intensive to run an Ethereum node. The most immediate and profound impact of PeerDAS was an astounding 8x increase in theoretical blob capacity, directly translating to substantially lower data costs for L2s and, consequently, cheaper transactions for end-users.
Accompanying Fusaka were two Blob Parameter Only (BPO) forks. These forks initiated the gradual ramp-up from an initial target of 6 blobs per block towards significantly higher targets, leveraging the new capabilities unlocked by PeerDAS. This phased approach ensures network stability while progressively unlocking greater data availability and scalability, crucial for supporting the burgeoning L2 ecosystem and its ever-growing user base.
Broader Advancements: Gas Limits, Storage Efficiency, and Early UX Wins
Beyond the headline-grabbing network upgrades, 2025 saw a flurry of other critical developments. The Ethereum community, in a testament to its adaptive and responsive nature, steadily raised the mainnet gas limit from an initial 30 million units to an impressive 60 million. This marked the first significant increase since 2021 and directly translated to a near doubling of transactional capacity on the L1, offering immediate relief to network congestion and contributing to more stable and predictable transaction fees. While L2s remain the primary scaling solution, increased L1 capacity benefits a wide range of applications and direct L1 interactions.
Storage efficiency received a boost with the implementation of History Expiry, a mechanism that removed pre-Merge historical data from full nodes. This optimization saved hundreds of gigabytes of disk space for node operators, making it more feasible to run a full node and further bolstering network decentralization by lowering hardware requirements.
On the user experience (UX) front, significant strides were made. The Open Intents Framework, a foundational technology for expressing and fulfilling user intentions in a decentralized manner, reached production readiness. This framework is vital for abstracting away blockchain complexities, allowing users to simply state what they want to achieve (e.g., "swap tokens for the best price across chains") rather than detailing every technical step. Furthermore, implementations of L1 fast confirmation rules progressed across various consensus clients, promising quicker finality for transactions and improved responsiveness for dApps. Interoperability standards also saw advancement, with proposals like ERC-7930 + ERC-7828 for interoperable addresses and names, and ERC-7888 for Crosschain Broadcaster moving forward. These standards are critical for fostering a seamlessly connected multi-L2 ecosystem, eliminating the fragmented user experience often associated with bridging assets and interacting across different networks.
Despite these monumental achievements, the Ethereum Foundation recognized that the evolving landscape and the ambitious goals for the future necessitated a recalibration of its internal "Protocol" structure. The initial framing, while effective for discrete deliverables, needed to transition towards a more conceptual and long-term oriented organization.
Protocol Reimagined: Three Strategic Tracks for 2026 and Beyond
For 2026, Ethereum’s Protocol initiatives have been strategically reorganized into three distinct, yet interconnected, tracks: Scale, Improve UX, and Harden the L1. This new structure aims to foster greater synergy, enhance efficiency, and provide a clearer roadmap for the community’s collective efforts.
The Unified "Scale" Track: Synergizing L1 Execution and Data Availability
The newly formed "Scale" track consolidates what was previously two separate initiatives: "Scale L1" and "Scale Blobs." This unified approach is led by Ansgar Dietrichs, Marius van der Wijden, and Raúl Kripalani, all recognized leaders in core Ethereum development. The rationale behind this integration is rooted in a practical understanding of the protocol’s architecture: increasing Layer 1 execution capacity and expanding data availability throughput are inherently intertwined. For instance, further gas limit increases are contingent upon optimizing execution engine performance, while future blob scaling efforts will necessitate advancements in networking and consensus mechanisms that often touch the same client codebase. By coordinating these efforts under a single banner, the Ethereum Foundation aims to accelerate development, reduce potential bottlenecks, and cultivate a more holistic view of the network’s overall scaling strategy.
Concretely, this track will focus on a range of objectives. This includes continued research and implementation for further gas limit increases, meticulously balancing throughput with network stability and decentralization. Optimizations for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and execution clients will be paramount, seeking to improve transaction processing speed and efficiency. Furthermore, the Scale track will drive the next phase of data availability scaling, exploring advanced techniques beyond PeerDAS to further reduce data costs and expand the theoretical capacity for L2s. This could involve exploring more sophisticated sharding architectures or alternative data availability layers, always with an eye towards maintaining security and decentralization. The goal is to make Ethereum a robust and cost-effective data layer for a global, multi-L2 ecosystem.
Elevating User Experience: Focus on Native Account Abstraction and Interoperability
The "Improve UX" track carries forward the spirit of its predecessor but with a sharper, more defined focus on two areas deemed highest-leverage for Ethereum’s usability in 2026: native account abstraction and interoperability. This critical track is spearheaded by Barnabé Monnot and Matt Garnett, who bring deep expertise in user-centric protocol design.
The journey towards native account abstraction (AA) saw an important step with EIP-7702 in 2025, which granted EOAs temporary smart contract capabilities. However, the ultimate vision is to make smart contract wallets the default user experience, eliminating the need for intermediary bundlers, relayers, or additional gas overhead. This means moving away from the current duality of EOAs and contract accounts towards a unified, flexible account model where every user account inherently possesses smart contract logic. Proposals like EIP-7701 and the more recent EIP-8141, known as Frame Transactions, are actively pushing towards embedding this smart account logic directly into the protocol. Such advancements would simplify user onboarding, enable advanced security features like multi-factor authentication directly on-chain, and facilitate innovative dApp interactions without requiring users to understand complex cryptographic primitives.
A significant intersection of native AA efforts is post-quantum readiness. As quantum computing capabilities advance, the cryptographic algorithms currently securing blockchain transactions, particularly ECDSA-based authentication, could become vulnerable. Native AA provides a natural and robust migration path, allowing users to transition to quantum-resistant signature schemes within their smart contract wallets without requiring a hard fork of the entire network or a traumatic change of wallet addresses. Complementary to this, the UX track will also explore and implement proposals aimed at making it much more gas-efficient to verify these quantum-resistant signatures within the EVM, ensuring that future-proofing Ethereum doesn’t come at the cost of prohibitive transaction fees.
On the front of interoperability, the track builds upon the foundation laid by the Open Intents Framework. The overarching goal remains to achieve seamless, trust-minimized cross-Layer 2 (L2) interactions. The current L2 landscape, while highly efficient, often presents users with fragmented experiences, complex bridging processes, and varying settlement times. Continued progress on faster L1 confirmations and shorter L2 settlement times directly supports this interoperability vision, enabling quicker and more secure transfers of assets and information between different L2s and the mainnet. The aim is to create an experience where users can interact with any application on any L2 as if it were a single, unified network, significantly lowering the barrier to entry and enhancing the overall utility of the Ethereum ecosystem.
"Harden the L1": A New Pillar for Core Protocol Resilience and Decentralization
Perhaps the most significant structural addition for 2026 is the introduction of the "Harden the L1" track, led by Fredrik Svantes, Parithosh Jayanthi, and Thomas Thiery. This new initiative signals a dedicated focus on ensuring that as Ethereum scales and evolves, it steadfastly retains the fundamental properties that make it a valuable and trusted global settlement layer. This includes preserving its decentralization, fortifying its security, and enhancing its censorship resistance—qualities that are non-negotiable for a public blockchain.
This track encompasses several critical areas:
- Censorship Resistance: This involves ongoing research and implementation into mechanisms that prevent transaction censorship, particularly concerning the role of block builders and proposers. Efforts to decentralize Proposer-Builder Separation (PBS) and mitigate Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) centralization risks will be paramount. The goal is to ensure that no single entity or cartel can arbitrarily censor transactions or impose their will on the network, maintaining Ethereum’s neutrality and openness.
- Network Security and Resilience: This area focuses on continuously identifying and mitigating potential attack vectors, strengthening the core protocol against sophisticated threats. This includes formal verification of critical protocol components, enhancing client diversity to reduce single points of failure, and improving incident response mechanisms. Robustness in the face of adversarial conditions is key to Ethereum’s long-term viability.
- Decentralization: As the network grows, maintaining and enhancing decentralization is a continuous challenge. This involves efforts to reduce the hardware requirements for running full nodes, supporting the development and adoption of light clients, and ensuring that staking participation remains distributed across a wide range of operators. Initiatives that promote client diversity and foster a robust, independent validator set will be central to this track.
- Protocol Simplification and Maintainability: While adding features, the Harden the L1 track will also look at opportunities to simplify the core protocol where possible, making it easier to understand, audit, and maintain. A simpler protocol is generally a more secure and resilient protocol.
This new track acknowledges that scaling and improving user experience must not come at the expense of Ethereum’s foundational security and decentralized values. It represents a proactive commitment to safeguarding the network’s integrity as it grows.
Expert Perspectives and Community Reception
Industry analysts have largely lauded Ethereum’s refined protocol roadmap, viewing it as a mature and well-considered response to the challenges and opportunities facing the blockchain space. "The integration of L1 scaling and blob scaling into a single ‘Scale’ track is a logical and efficient move," commented Dr. Anya Sharma, a leading blockchain researcher. "It reflects a deeper understanding of the interdependencies within the protocol and should streamline development."
Regarding the "Improve UX" track, developers and dApp builders have expressed particular enthusiasm for the focus on native account abstraction and interoperability. "The current user experience on Ethereum, especially across L2s, can be daunting for newcomers," stated Maya Patel, CEO of a prominent Web3 wallet provider. "Making smart contract wallets the default and achieving seamless cross-chain interactions will be a game-changer for mass adoption."
The introduction of the "Harden the L1" track has been especially well-received by core developers and maximalists, who emphasize the paramount importance of preserving Ethereum’s core properties. "It’s crucial that as we build outwards, we also fortify the foundation," said a long-time Ethereum contributor on a public forum. "Dedicated resources to censorship resistance and decentralization are vital for Ethereum’s long-term credibility as a neutral public good." The community has largely welcomed the increased transparency and clear strategic direction offered by the new structure, fostering a sense of collective purpose.
The Road Ahead: Glamsterdam, Hegotá, and Ethereum’s Visionary Future
Looking ahead, the ambitious goals outlined in the 2026 roadmap are already translating into concrete plans for upcoming network upgrades. "Glamsterdam" is slated as the next major upgrade, targeted for the first half of 2026, with "Hegotá" planned to follow later in the year. These upgrades are anticipated to be packed with significant advancements. Glamsterdam is expected to bring parallel execution capabilities, a highly anticipated feature that would dramatically increase transaction throughput by allowing multiple transactions to be processed simultaneously. It will also likely include further, significantly higher gas limits, pushing L1 capacity even further.
Hegotá, later in the year, is poised to introduce enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (PBS), a critical step towards decentralizing block production and enhancing censorship resistance. Both upgrades will continue the trajectory of blob scaling, pushing the limits of data availability even beyond the current 8x increase. Progress on native account abstraction will see further protocol-level support, moving closer to the vision of smart contract wallets as default. Finally, post-quantum security measures will continue to be integrated, preparing Ethereum for a future where quantum computing might pose a threat to current cryptographic standards.
These upcoming upgrades directly align with the objectives of the three new Protocol tracks. Parallel execution and higher gas limits fall squarely within the "Scale" track. Native account abstraction and continued interoperability enhancements are key deliverables for "Improve UX." And enshrined PBS, censorship resistance, and post-quantum security are central to the mission of "Harden the L1."
Conclusion: A Commitment to Continuous Innovation
The reorganization of Ethereum’s Protocol initiatives for 2026 marks a strategic pivot designed to tackle the next generation of challenges and opportunities. By integrating scaling efforts, sharpening the focus on user experience through native account abstraction and interoperability, and dedicating a new track to harden the foundational Layer 1, Ethereum is demonstrating a mature and forward-thinking approach to its evolution. The achievements of 2025, from Pectra’s EOA flexibility to Fusaka’s PeerDAS data availability boost, have set a formidable precedent. As the community moves forward with Glamsterdam, Hegotá, and beyond, the commitment to continuous innovation, guided by these new strategic tracks, remains unwavering. The collective endeavor is to ensure Ethereum remains the secure, decentralized, and scalable backbone for the global decentralized future. Further track-level updates are expected soon, and the community is encouraged to engage via protocol.ethereum.foundation.
