Deep Dive
1. Hard Fork Completion (8 July 2026)
Overview: This update finalized a major economic shift by permanently stopping the minting of BGT, the governance token. It marks the full activation of the "PoL Next" model, which now revolves around sWBERA.
The hard fork's primary function was to cease block reward emissions for BGT. This change is foundational, moving all future protocol incentives to be distributed directly to $BERA stakers through a new mechanism, fundamentally altering the chain's reward structure.
What this means: This is bullish for $BERA because it directly ties all future ecosystem rewards to staking the main token, potentially increasing demand and reducing sell pressure from a separate governance token. It simplifies the economic model for users.
(Berachain)
2. Fusaka Mainnet Upgrade (24 June 2026)
Overview: This scheduled upgrade introduced the Fulu and Osaka execution and consensus changes. It ended compatibility with Bera-Geth, meaning Berachain's client software diverged significantly from standard Ethereum.
The upgrade represents a deep technical evolution, requiring new client logic and potentially altering node requirements. Such changes can introduce short-term risk for applications and bridges but aim for long-term performance gains and independence.
What this means: This is neutral for $BERA because while it may improve the chain's capabilities and attract builders in the future, it initially carries technical risk and could temporarily disrupt services as the ecosystem adapts.
(TradingView News)
3. Bectra Hard Fork (4 June 2025)
Overview: This was a major technical hard fork that made Berachain the first EVM-identical chain to fully implement Ethereum's Pectra upgrades. It brought features like programmable smart accounts and improved rollup support without breaking existing contracts.
The update enabled wallets to function as smart contracts, allowing users to batch transactions, set spending limits, and pay gas fees with the $HONEY stablecoin. It was a significant step in enhancing user experience and developer flexibility.
What this means: This was bullish for $BERA because it significantly improved the chain's utility and user-friendliness, making it more competitive for decentralized applications and potentially attracting more users and developers to the ecosystem.
(CoinMarketCap Community)
Conclusion
Berachain's development trajectory shows a clear focus on maturing its core technology and refining its unique Proof-of-Liquidity economics, transitioning from foundational builds to performance and incentive optimization. How will the completed PoL Next model impact staking participation and protocol revenue in the coming months?