Ethereum Developers Split Major Upgrade 'Pectra' into Two Parts

This week, Ethereum core developers decided to split the network's next major upgrade, Pectra, into at least two parts. The first update is slated for release around February 2025.

This initial update includes a proposal, EIP-7702, which allows users to pay gas fees using cryptocurrencies with broader usage rather than exclusively ETH, as is currently the case for gas fees across several networks in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Another improvement, EIP-7251, enables Ethereum stakers to earn rewards on staked amounts exceeding 32 ETH. For example, users currently staking 40 ETH cannot currently benefit from or gain voting rights on the additional 8 ETH. This will significantly reduce bandwidth requirements across the entire Ethereum network.

Two additional proposals included in the initial Pectra release, EIP-6110 and EIP-7002, will also enable the first fully automated and permissionless ETH staking pools. The remaining parts of Pectra may not be completed until 2026. (decrypt)