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Ethereum developers plan major protocol changes in 2026, combining scaling, security hardening, and UX improvements following last year’s network upgrades.
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The Ethereum Foundation said it will prioritize post-quantum security and further increases to the gas limit as part of its protocol roadmap for 2026.
The organization is also restructuring its development efforts into three core tracks covering scaling, user experience, and Layer 1 security.
Three-Track Protocol Overhaul
On Wednesday, the Foundation said Ethereum’s next phase will focus on expanding network capacity while ensuring long-term security and resilience. Gas limit increases also remain a central objective, following a rise from 30 million to 60 million over the past year. Developers are now targeting a move toward and beyond 100 million gas per block.
Post-quantum readiness was identified as a crucial consideration across multiple areas of protocol development, amidst growing attention to cryptographic security as quantum computing capabilities advance. The Foundation said its protocol work in 2026 will be organized into three tracks – Scale, Improve UX, and Harden the L1.
The “Scale” track combines work previously split between Layer 1 execution scaling and blob data availability. This track will oversee continued gas limit increases supported by client benchmarking and block-level access lists, further blob parameter increases following recent upgrades, and delivery of scaling components planned for the Glamsterdam network upgrade. It will also advance state scaling efforts, including near-term repricing and history expiry, and longer-term plans for statelessness and new data structures.
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The “Improve UX” track will focus on protocol-level changes that aim to simplify how users interact with Ethereum. Focus will also be on native account abstraction and interoperability. Building on EIP-7702, which allows externally owned accounts to temporarily execute smart contract code, developers are working toward making smart contract wallets the default without relying on additional infrastructure or incurring extra gas overhead.
The Foundation said this work also intersects with post-quantum readiness, as native account abstraction provides a pathway for transitioning away from ECDSA-based authentication. Efforts to improve interoperability will continue through the Open Intents Framework, in addition to progress on faster Layer 1 confirmations and shorter Layer 2 settlement times.
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The “Harden the L1” track introduces a dedicated focus on preserving Ethereum’s core properties as the network scales. This includes security initiatives such as post-quantum readiness and execution-layer safeguards, research into censorship resistance for transactions and blob data, and expanded testing infrastructure to support a faster upgrade cadence. The Foundation said work on devnets, testnets, and client interoperability will remain critical as protocol changes are deployed more frequently.
Looking Ahead
Meanwhile, Glamsterdam is targeted for the first half of 2026, according to the update shared by the Ethereum Foundation. Additionally, the Hegotá upgrade is planned for later in the year.
These upgrades are expected to include higher gas limits, continued blob scaling, enshrined proposer-builder separation, and further progress on native account abstraction, censorship resistance, and post-quantum security.
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