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Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade went live on May 7, introducing major changes to wallet functionality and scalability.
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EIP-7702 enables temporary smart contract behavior for user accounts, simplifying crypto wallets.
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Validators can now stake up to 2,048 ETH under EIP-7251, boosting efficiency.
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Blob throughput was doubled via EIP-7691 to improve rollup scalability.
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Pectra lays the foundation for Ethereum's next upgrade, Fusaka, aimed at further UX and performance improvements.
A Major Milestone for Ethereum
Ethereum activated its Pectra upgrade early Wednesday, its most significant network update since Dencun. The hard fork took place at 6:05am ET and reached finality minutes later, ushering in sweeping changes to validator operations, account features, and Layer 2 scalability.
Ethereum core developer Preston Van Loon called it “the most ambitious upgrade yet,” emphasizing its impact on Layer 2 and Layer 3 solutions, where user interactions could become gasless and abstracted from traditional wallet flows.
Account Abstraction Takes a Leap
One of the key changes is EIP-7702, which introduces smart contract-like behavior for standard Ethereum accounts without address changes. This enables features like batching, permission management, and gas sponsorship, and is seen as a step toward true account abstraction.
“This lays the foundation we’ve needed for a long time,” Van Loon said, with DeFi developers expected to quickly integrate the new functionality to streamline user experiences.
Staking Limits Raised with EIP-7251
Pectra also changes the validator model with EIP-7251, allowing validators to stake up to 2,048 ETH, up from the prior 32 ETH cap. This move enables more efficient capital use for large holders and simplifies multi-validator operations.
Scaling Improvements with Blobs
The upgrade includes EIP-7691, doubling blob throughput from 3 to 6 per block. Blobs store Layer 2 data off-chain, cutting costs and congestion. However, experts like MIT’s Muriel Médard warned that validators will now need more resources, and Ethereum’s scaling challenges persist.
What’s Next: Fusaka and PeerDAS
While Pectra lays the groundwork, developers are already preparing for the next step—Fusaka. OP Labs’ Sam McIngvale noted that Layer 2s still need 5-8x more blob capacity to stay uncongested and welcomed PeerDAS, an Ethereum-native data availability solution under development.
