Ethereum in 2026: Glamsterdam and Hegota Forks, Layer 1 Scaling, and More

Key Takeaways

• Ethereum is poised for crucial developments in 2026, particularly with the Glamsterdam and Hegota forks.
• Glamsterdam will introduce perfect parallel processing, increase gas limits significantly, and facilitate ZK-proof validation.
• Layer 1 will see a substantial rise in TPS capacity, while Layer 2 solutions will enable transactions in the hundreds of thousands per second.
• Heze-Bogota will focus on improved censorship resistance with an EIP aimed at ensuring transaction inclusivity.

WEEX Crypto News, 2025-12-26 10:06:42

The Ethereum landscape is on the brink of transformative innovations, especially as we approach 2026. Two pivotal hard forks, Glamsterdam and Hegota, are set to redefine how Ethereum operates, focusing on increased scaling, enhanced security, and broader accessibility. These adjustments hold the promise of significantly elevating Ethereum’s performance capability, addressing both foundational Layer 1 and supplementary Layer 2 scaling challenges. As we delve deeper, we uncover how these modifications will align with Ethereum’s mission to be scalable, efficient, and secure.

Ethereum 2026: Approaching a New Era with Glamsterdam

In 2026, Ethereum will witness a major upgrade as the Glamsterdam fork introduces perfect parallel processing. This advancement represents Ethereum’s commitment to enhancing its technological infrastructure. Current operations involve processing transactions in a singular sequence, akin to a single-lane road causing traffic snarl-ups. However, with the proposed introduction of Block Access Lists under the Glamsterdam upgrade, Ethereum transactions will evolve from this single-lane system to a sophisticated multi-lane highway. Here, multiple transactions will run concurrently, offering a dramatic enhancement in throughput.

Glamsterdam Fork: Unveiling Perfect Parallel Processing

Perfect parallel processing under Glamsterdam is hinged on the introduction of Block Access Lists (EIP-7928). Although the term might suggest a censorship tool, it is quite the opposite. Block Access Lists aim to map the interactions between transactions and which accounts and storage slots are affected. This mapping is essential for enabling these transactions to be processed on multiple CPU cores simultaneously, eliminating conflicts and significantly boosting transaction processing speeds. Additionally, Ethereum clients can preload necessary data into memory, bypassing the need to repeatedly access disk storage, thus tackling one of the most daunting bottlenecks in current processing speeds.

Enshrined Proposer Builder Separation: Enhancing Throughput

Another critical innovation in the Glamsterdam upgrade is the Enshrined Proposer Builder Separation (ePBS). Currently, block builders and proposers work within a centralized framework, often creating bottlenecks in the sequence of creating and validating blocks. ePBS provides a more decentralized solution by integrating this into the consensus layer. It allows block builders to focus on crafting optimal transaction orders, while proposers can select the best block to propose. This separation not only alleviates centric pressures but also ensures that the maximal extractable value (MEV) does not endanger network decentralization or security.

From a scalability standpoint, the separation is critical as it affords more time for ZK-proofs generation and propagation throughout the network – an essential feature since validators currently face penalties for tardiness, deterring them from validating these proofs.

Preparing for the Future: Increased Ethereum L1 Gas Limit

Ethereum’s Layer 1 gas limit plays a pivotal role in determining network throughput. As of now, Ethereum’s gas limit has seen an increase to 60 million. The anticipation is that the Glamsterdam fork will facilitate a further increase, potentially up to 200 million, enhancing Ethereum’s capacity to manage more transactions efficiently. Senior staff blockchain protocol engineer Gary Schulte suggests that such increments could indeed be viable if paired with the shift towards delayed execution strategies. These changes suggest an anticipated rise in transaction capacities, laying the groundwork for a potential throughput of over 10,000 transactions per second on Layer 1.

Layer 2 Innovations: Embracing Data Blobs and Cross-Chain Interoperability

The modifications in the Glamsterdam fork are not confined to Layer 1. They also pave the way for substantial Layer 2 improvements. These secondary chains, which sit atop Ethereum’s Layer 1 network, stand to process hundreds of thousands of transactions per second. A vital innovation to watch here is the increase in data blobs per block, potentially up to 72 or more. This increase provides enhanced space for transactions to occur off the primary Ethereum chain, allowing the main chain to focus on validating crucial transactions that anchor these secondary solutions.

Moreover, the much-anticipated Ethereum Interoperability Layer will enable seamless cross-chain operations among various Layer 2 solutions. This capability promises not only efficiency but also layers of privacy and censorship resistance, further enhanced with the upcoming Hegota fork.

Heze-Bogota Fork: Prioritizing Privacy and Censorship Resistance

As the year closes, the Hegota fork is anticipated to augment Ethereum’s positioning by embedding mechanisms that ensure privacy and counter censorship. Unlike the Glamsterdam fork, which focuses heavily on scalability and throughput, Hegota emphasizes the foundational ideals of the Ethereum project—decentralization and freedom from censorship. A key enhancement through the Fork-Choice Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) ensures no valid transaction is unfairly excluded. This feature mandates validators to include specific transactions, thus safeguarding Ethereum’s decentralizing ethos even under potential pressures to exclude certain activities.

Conclusion: The Road Ahead for Ethereum

The planned advancements in 2026 are set to catapult Ethereum into a more efficient, accessible, and secure future. As these forks are implemented, they not only address systematic bottlenecks but also push the boundaries of what Ethereum can achieve on both a technological and philosophical scale. The Glamsterdam fork aims to resolve scalability issues with new parallel processing capabilities, while the Hegota fork pledges to bolster Ethereum’s resilience against censorship, ensuring it remains true to its original promise of decentralized, open financial systems.

FAQs

What are the major benefits of the Glamsterdam and Hegota forks?

The Glamsterdam fork is set to introduce parallel processing and significantly increase Ethereum’s transaction throughput, while the Hegota fork focuses on enhancing censorship resistance and privacy on the network.

How will the Glamsterdam fork improve Ethereum’s scalability?

Glamsterdam will implement Block Access Lists for parallel transaction processing, boosting the overall speed and efficiency of the network.

What impact will Enshrined Proposer Builder Separation (ePBS) have on Ethereum?

ePBS will decentralize block construction by separating the roles of block proposers and builders, thereby enhancing security and potentially allowing higher transaction throughput.

How will Layer 2 solutions benefit from these forks?

Layer 2 solutions will process even more transactions due to increased data blobs, and the new interoperability layer will facilitate seamless cross-chain operations.

What measures will the Heze-Bogota fork introduce to combat censorship?

The Heze-Bogota fork will feature Fork-Choice Inclusion Lists, ensuring validators include specific transactions, bolstering Ethereum’s resistance against transaction censorship.