$ETH Ethereum Activates ‘Pectra’ Network Upgrade: Here’s What You Need to Know


Ethereum has officially rolled out its highly anticipated “Pectra” upgrade, marking a major milestone for the world’s second-largest blockchain. The update went live on May 7, 2025, at the start of epoch 364032, around 10:00 a.m. UTC, and brings transformative changes to the network — from smart accounts to enhanced scalability and validator flexibility.


This upgrade incorporates three core Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs): EIP-7702, EIP-7251, and EIP-7691 — each addressing a different aspect of Ethereum's growth and user functionality.


Smart Accounts Arrive with EIP-7702

Arguably the most revolutionary feature of the upgrade is EIP-7702, which allows externally owned accounts (EOAs) — the standard type of Ethereum wallet — to temporarily act like smart contracts. This change enables wallets to sponsor gas fees or use non-Ether tokens to pay transaction costs, offering more flexibility and potentially broader adoption.


Bigger Stakes with EIP-7251

Next up, EIP-7251 addresses a long-standing limitation for validators. It raises the maximum staking limit per validator from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, making it much easier for large-scale stakers to manage their operations without having to run multiple validator instances. This change improves efficiency and could incentivize further institutional involvement.


Scalability Boost from EIP-7691

Finally, EIP-7691 enhances Ethereum’s layer-2 scalability. By increasing the number of data blobs per block, this proposal allows more rollup data to be included, which in turn lowers transaction fees and enhances throughput across the ecosystem. This is particularly impactful for dApps and users relying on layer-2 solutions for cheaper and faster transactions.

May 07, 2025 at 4:23 PM
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