When will the Ethereum Pectra upgrade be officially implemented?

The Ethereum Pectra upgrade, combining Prague and Electra, is slated for Q1 2025, improving scalability and user experience via EIPs like 7702 (EOA smart contract execution) and 7251 (increased validator staking). Holesky and Sepolia testnets are currently validating the upgrade.

Mar 04, 2025 at 02:25 pm

• The Pectra upgrade is expected to be implemented in the first quarter of 2025. It combines Prague execution layer upgrade and Electra protocol layer upgrade, which is another major move by Ethereum since the Dencun upgrade.

• This upgrade does not focus on a single goal, but covers multiple technological improvements and optimizations, which is of great significance to the Ethereum ecosystem.

• EIP-7702 : This upgrade allows users' existing EOA to execute smart contract codes, improve wallet experience, and support payment of handling fees with other tokens, which is conducive to the birth of complex gameplay applications.

• EIP-7251 : Allows verifiers to increase the pledge amount from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, improves node operation efficiency and shortens the new node setting time.

• Other EIPs : There are also multiple EIPs such as EIP-2537 precompiled for BLS12-381 curve operation, which jointly helps improve Ethereum performance.

• Holesky Test Network : On February 26, testing was started on the Holesky Test Network to conduct preliminary verification for the upgrade and detect the operation of the upgrade in the test environment.

• Sepolia Test Network : On March 5, the test will be conducted on Sepolia Test Network to further conduct comprehensive inspections on the upgrades and troubleshoot potential problems.

• According to the developer's plan, if the test network of Holesky and Sepolia will be successfully tested, the Pectra upgrade is expected to be launched on the main network in early April. This is based on the past Ethereum upgrade process, and the test network is successfully promoted to the main network. However, the final online time is also affected by factors such as the test results and the duration of potential problem solving. If complex problems occur during the test, the online time may be postponed.