Ethereum Pectra Upgrade: Comprehensive Leap in User Experience, Validator Efficiency, and Layer 2 Scalability

On May 7, 2025, Ethereum Mainnet officially activated the Pectra upgrade at epoch 364032 (6:05 AM Eastern Time), marking the most significant network update since the "Merge" in 2022. According to The Block, this upgrade integrates 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) and comprehensively optimizes user experience, validator operational efficiency, and Layer 2 scalability, injecting strong momentum into the long-term development of the Ethereum ecosystem. Pectra not only solidifies Ethereum's position as the world's leading smart contracts platform but also paves the way for the subsequent Fusaka upgrade, marking a new chapter in Ethereum's scalability and user-friendliness.

Upgrade Background: The Rigorous Tempering from Testnet to Mainnet

The successful deployment of the Pectra upgrade was not achieved overnight; it involved months of development and testing. Since Pectra went live on the Mekong testnet on November 7, 2024, the development team has conducted repeated validations on several testnets, including Holesky, Sepolia, and Hoodi. Notably, when the Holesky testnet was activated on February 24, 2025, a chain split occurred due to client configuration issues, but the problem was quickly resolved, ensuring the stability of subsequent tests. The successful operation of the Hoodi testnet ultimately cleared the obstacles for the Mainnet upgrade. According to Crypto Briefing, after the activation of Pectra on the Mainnet, community members continuously monitored the network status to ensure a smooth transition of the upgrade.

Ethereum's official statement describes Pectra as an upgrade "born for users," aiming to make Ethereum "more user-friendly and smoother." Unlike the "Merge" which focuses on optimizing the protocol layer, Pectra pays more attention to the actual experience of users and validators, making it a "refreshing masterpiece" of Ethereum.

Core improvements: account abstraction, staking flexibility, and Layer 2 acceleration

The core highlights of the Pectra upgrade focus on three areas: account abstraction, optimization of validator operations, and improvements in Layer 2 scalability, with each enhancement addressing the pain points of the Ethereum ecosystem.

EIP-7702: Account Abstraction Reshaping User Experience

EIP-7702 introduces a new type of transaction (identified as 0x04) that allows externally owned accounts (EOAs) to temporarily have smart contract functionality in a single transaction. The proposal, drafted by Vitalik Buterin in 22 minutes, replaces the controversial EIP-3074 and is seen as a key step in Account Abstraction. Specifically, EIP-7702 supports bulk transactions (e.g., one-time approval and exchange of tokens), third-party gas fee sponsorship (allowing others to pay transaction fees on their behalf), and flexible rights management. Users don't need to hold ETH to pay gas fees, and they can even complete transactions using stablecoins such as USDC or DAI. This dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for new users while providing more room for decentralized application (dApp) developers to innovate.

However, EIP-7702 also brings new challenges. Slow Mist Technology points out that due to the lack of mature smart contract standards, users may face the risk of signature phishing or storage conflicts. Wallet service providers need to quickly adapt to the new transaction types and reduce security risks through open-source checks and permission validation.

EIP-7251: validators' staking limit soars to 2048 ETH

EIP-7251 increases a validator's maximum effective staking balance from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, completely breaking the previous staking limit of 32 ETH. This means that stakers can reinvest their earnings directly into their effective balances, significantly improving their capital efficiency. For example, validators who hold 33 ETH can now receive the full amount of their rewards without having to split across multiple validator nodes. In addition, the proposal would allow large staking providers to merge multiple validators, reducing the total number of validators in the network (currently around 1.05 million). This not only reduces bandwidth and computational burden, but also optimizes the efficiency of point-to-point communication. Blockweek's analysis said that while the reduction in the number of validators may lead to decentralization controversy, EIP-7251 ensures network security through financial incentives while providing a simpler process for institutional stakers. EIP-7691: Layer 2 data throughput is doubled

EIP-7691 increases the target number of Blobs per block from 3 to 6, with the maximum number going from 6 to 9, resulting in a 50% increase in data storage capacity. Blobs, introduced as a temporary data storage mechanism in the Dencun upgrade, greatly reduce the transaction costs of Layer 2 (L2). Pectra further lowers L2 fees by increasing Blob capacity, enhancing Rollup transaction efficiency. To balance bandwidth pressure, EIP-7623 raises calldata fees, incentivizing L2 to prioritize Blob storage. "The Plain Language Blockchain" points out that this improvement will significantly enhance Ethereum's scalability, laying the groundwork for the future introduction of Verkle Trees and PeerDAS.

Other optimizations: validators' operations and network efficiency

Pectra also includes several auxiliary EIPs that further enhance network efficiency. For example, EIP-7002 allows execution layer addresses to trigger withdrawals, reducing reliance on validators; EIP-6110 shortens the validator deposit activation time from 9 hours to 13 minutes, optimizing the staking process. In addition, EIP-2935 provides access to recent block hashes on-chain, supporting trustless oracle services; EIP-2537 reduces the Gas costs of cryptographic operations, facilitating smart contract deployment.

Future Outlook: Fusaka Upgrade and Ethereum's North Star

Pectra is a bridge to the Fusaka upgrade, which is expected to be launched by the end of 2025, focusing on PeerDAS (data availability sampling) and Verkle Trees technology. PeerDAS reduces the storage requirements for node data through cryptographic sampling, significantly enhancing L1 scalability; Verkle Trees optimize state storage, paving the way for stateless clients. Bankless predicts that Fusaka's goal is to push Blob capacity to 48/72, further reducing L2 costs while maintaining decentralization.

Datawallet analysis suggests that the success of Pectra could catalyze a rise in ETH prices. Historically, the Shapella and Dencun upgrades drove price increases of 45% and 70%, respectively, and Pectra's bullish potential should not be underestimated. Meanwhile, the Ethereum community has high hopes for Pectra, viewing it as a key node in reclaiming market narratives. Vitalik Buterin emphasized that Pectra is not just a technical upgrade, but the starting point for "Ethereum to find its North Star."

This article only represents the author's personal views and does not reflect the position or views of this platform. This article is for information sharing only and does not constitute any investment advice to anyone.

Join our community to discuss this event.

Official Telegram community:

Chat Room: Wealth Group