Everything about Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade: Improvements, Dates, and Key EIPs

Pectra is Ethereum’s next major upgrade, a hard fork that combines the improvements of Prague (execution layer) and Electra (consensus layer). With 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) at its core, Pectra aims to optimize the network in terms of efficiency, scalability, and usability, addressing both the execution and consensus layers.

Among its key enhancements, it introduces account abstraction for more flexible gas payments, optimizations in smart contracts, increased storage capacity, and technical updates that improve data management and support for layer 2 solutions.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know: from its main improvements to the implementation phases on the Ethereum network.

Pectra is Ethereum’s next major upgrade and the most ambitious to date. Its name comes from the combination of two upgrades: Prague, for the execution layer update, and Electra for the consensus layer. By merging, both aim to optimize the network’s scalability, efficiency, and usability.

Background and evolution of Pectra

In March 2023, Ethereum implemented the Dencun upgrade, introducing key improvements such as enabling balance withdrawals on the Beacon Chain within the staking contract and reducing transaction costs by introducing blobs. This solution optimized data storage on L2s, as before this upgrade, L2s competed with regular users for space on the main network, driving up fees.

In May 2024, during the All Core Developers Consensus (ACDC) meeting, the Pectra proposal was approved, driven by the need to continue optimizing costs on Ethereum. Currently, the network charges fees for:

• Data storage
• Instruction execution

The simpler the process and the less competition for transaction inclusion, the lower the costs. Based on this premise, Pectra seeks to improve the network’s efficiency and scalability.

Initially, up to 20 EIPs were proposed for the Pectra upgrade, but the fork was split into two, leaving Pectra with only 11 EIPs focused on optimizations. Among its most significant advances is the doubling of the number of available blobs for data availability, increasing from three to six, which provides a temporary relief to scalability challenges faced by solo stakers.

Its activation is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24, 2025, at 9:32 UTC, marking a new milestone in Ethereum’s evolution after almost a year of waiting.

Currently, eleven Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) are included in the Pectra upgrade. However, it’s important to note that the Ethereum developer community can still decide to add or remove EIPs, or even split Pectra’s implementation into different phases.

Let’s take a look at what each proposal entails:

EIP-7702: Account abstraction

Until now, we have depended on private keys—if you lose them, you lose access forever. With account abstraction (AA), the user experience will be much more friendly. Through a smart contract, an alternative recovery method can be set up, allowing each user to decide how to manage it.

This EIP will also enable more flexible ETH staking management, allowing partial or full withdrawals directly from execution layer credentials. Additionally, it introduces key functions such as transaction aggregation, gas sponsorship, and asset recovery, significantly enhancing the user experience.

EIP-7251: Increase in MAX_EFFECTIVE_BALANCE

This EIP increases the maximum balance for validators from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, allowing a single validator to operate up to 2,000 32-ETH validators with the same efficiency and benefits as if they were separate nodes.

This improvement reduces the total number of required validators, lowering network load and optimizing blockchain performance. It also simplifies staking management for large delegators and improves the computational efficiency of nodes.

Without a doubt, it enhances network health by reducing noise in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communications!

EIPs 7691 and 7623: Data storage optimization and Blob adoption

• EIP-7691 increases blob capacity from 3/6 to 6/9, allowing Ethereum to process more data and improve scalability for rollups.
• EIP-7623 increases calldata costs to encourage blob usage—a more efficient and scalable solution for data storage.

EIP-7002: Withdrawals triggered by the execution layer

Currently, only the validator can execute their exit, creating a trust relationship between the entity that deposits the 32 ETH and the validator.

With this improvement, the entity that deposits the 32 ETH will be able to initiate the exit without relying on the node operator, enhancing fund security and control.

EIP-7685: Reduced latency between layers

Currently, there is a 16-hour latency for the execution layer to receive necessary information from the consensus layer.

This EIP enables direct and agile communication between both layers, which could reduce or even eliminate the need for intermediaries like oracles and lower operational costs.

EIP-2537: Improved efficiency in cryptographic operations

BLS is a cryptographic scheme that allows signature aggregation without increasing size, but its computation is costly.

As a solution, this EIP introduces a precompilation for calculations on the BLS12-381 curve, reducing signature verification costs and improving cryptographic efficiency.

EIPs 2935, 6110, 7549, and 7840: General network improvements

• EIP-2935: Allows access to historical block hashes without needing to store the entire blockchain history.
• EIP-6110: Improves efficiency and transparency in validator deposits by incorporating these deposits directly into the execution layer.
• EIP-7549: Introduces the PeerDAS mechanism, optimizing data management on the network.
• EIP-7840: Enhances blob organization in the execution layer.

Dates are subject to change based on development progress and testnet trials, but for now, the upgrade is divided into two phases:

• Holesky Fork (Testnet): Scheduled for February 24, 2025, at 9:32 UTC.
• Mainnet Fork: Expected in mid to late March 2025.

Check the official countdown!

Pectra will have a direct impact on Ethereum staking, benefiting both large stakers and solo stakers.

• For large stakers**, significant efficiency improvements are expected, with more optimized reward mechanisms and reduced operational complexity.
• For solo stakers**, while immediate changes may not be evident, they will benefit long-term from improved network efficiency, reduced validator saturation, faster consensus, and greater scalability.

Key improvements directly affecting Ethereum staking

1. Increased staking limit for validators: EIP-7251 raises the maximum effective balance for validators, allowing them to manage more stake without operating multiple validators. This could lead to validator consolidation and impact staking rewards.
2. Withdrawal credentials: EIP-4788 simplifies the process of withdrawing delegated ETH, making staking more attractive to a wider range of users.
3. Greater efficiency and lower costs: Optimizations in the EVM and other components will increase transaction efficiency and smart contract execution, potentially reducing gas fees.

Pectra marks a significant step forward in Ethereum’s evolution, improving staking efficiency, optimizing transaction costs, and strengthening the network for mass adoption. With its implementation in April 2025, Ethereum will continue to solidify itself as the leading blockchain in scalability and usability!