Your Guide to Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade
Today is the day—the day that Ethereum officially launches its Pectra upgrade. Originally planned to launch in 2024, this upgrade has been a long time coming and has been seen as salvation for many Ethereum investors.
But will Pectra send the Ethereum price skyrocketing? Is it enough to save the stagnant altcoin? Keep reading as we dive deep into this upgrade and what it means for Ethereum.
What is the Pectra Upgrade?
The Pectra upgrade is the largest code change to the Ethereum blockchain since 2022. It is supposed to make the blockchain easier to use and faster—with hopes that it will help Ethereum regain its position in the cryptocurrency market.
Pectra is a bundle upgrade focused on bolstering 11 major EIPS throughout the Ethereum ecosystem. Pectra is actually the blending of two portions of the Ethereum platform, Prague, and Electra (the execution and consensus layer respectively) and its main goal is to make Ethereum safer, smarter, and more powerful.
Below is a list of the EIPs included in the Pectra upgrade:
· EIP-7702 (account abstraction)
· EIP-7251 (increases max ETH staked)
· EIP-7742 (increased future scaling)
· EIP-6110 (moves validator deposits on chain)
· EIP-7002 (smart contract-controlled withdrawal for staking)
· EIP-7691 (doubles what can be handled in a single block)
· EIP-2537 (precompiles data to increase speed)
· EIP-7840 (blobs are scheduled)
· EIP-7685 (improvements to execution layer data processing)
· EIP-7549 (increases overall efficiency)
When Does the Pectra Upgrade Go Live?
Currently, the Pectra upgrade is scheduled to go live today, May 7th, 2025. This wasn’t the original launch date, however, as that was in 2024, but bugs were found shortly before launch, causing the Ethereum to push back the official launch date.
Because we are so close to the launch, and we know that the original bugs which delayed the launch have been cleared, we are reasonably certain this upgrade will go live today—though we have been wrong in the past! Keep an eye on Ethereum’s official page and social media channels for official updates.
What Does the Pectra Upgrade Mean for Users?
In general, unless you have been dying to use one of the new features the upgrade introduces, you as a user don’t really need to do anything, just sit back and enjoy the improved Ethereum blockchain.
Those running a node, however, or using a third-party wallet, will need to update their nodes and wallets. There will ensure that the two are in communication and allow you to use all the new features included in Pectra.
Is Vitalik Buterin Still Involved in Ethereum?
Vitalik Buterin is still an active participant in the Ethereum blockchain. Though he has seemingly stepped back from the CEO role in the last few years to provide more exact guidance for his development team, he is still there and still in charge of the future of Ethereum as a whole.
Related: Vitalik Buterin’s Net Worth
What is Next for the Ethereum Platform?
Of course, Pectra isn’t the first upgrade to Ethereum, and it certainly won’t be the last. Once the Pectra upgrade goes live, the next one is called the Fulu-Osaka upgrade and it is currently in the process of being implemented with completion slated for later this year (though we expect delays!)
Fulu-Osaka, or Fusaka, is an upgrade that applies data sampling to the blockchain, which will further increase speed and the blockchain’s ability to handle peak times. Currently, the Ethereum blockchain is known to handle a million transactions in a single day—despite investor stagnancy.
After Fusaka comes Glamsterdam, which is meant to further optimize the gas process to increase efficiency. Currently, Glamsterdam is slated to go live in mid to late 2026. Though we suspect if Fusaka gets pushed back, Glamsterdam will too.
Will These Upgrades Be Enough to Save Ethereum?
There is a lot of talk about “saving” Ethereum and honestly, we don’t think it needs to be “saved.” Though blockchain growth has slowed over the past few years, we believe this is due to competition and that Ethereum still has an amazing viable product that just needs to find its way into the right hands. With increased focus on blockchain in many industries, we hope expanding knowledge of the benefits of blockchain will help to pull Ethereum out of its four-year slump.
In short, we aren’t worried about Ethereum “dying” as many fearmongers have been saying. While we are worried about it losing traction, we believe that Ethereum is just too large of a platform and too useful to disappear overnight.
That being said Ethereum price has not bounced back with the coming of Pectra. As we mentioned above, we believe a major reason that Ethereum has slumped since its 2021 high is simply that other amazing projects have entered the market. Thus, Ethereum needs these upgrades to increase functionality to help it remain a viable altcoin option. Plus, if it is more user-friendly, it is more likely that it will attract new users in the future.
If you are reading this article as a potential investor, know that Pectra alone might not be enough to catapult Ethereum back to its place as the second most popular altcoin. While we definitely recommend investing in, and staking your ETH, we think those who are just looking for investment value should consider BTC or another cryptocurrency.
The reality is, as a product (not a store of value) there is a ceiling for the price of Ethereum. There always was. If the token reaches this ceiling, or attempts to go above it, people and businesses will stop using it. Therefore, we urge you to consider Ethereum and Bitcoin separately for your portfolio. While they are both good investments in our opinion, Ethereum must be staked in order for it to bring the returns you may be desiring.
The reality is, not every cryptocurrency is designed to spike just before a major upgrade or split. So regardless of how you feel about the Pectra upgrade, there is no need to panic over the fact that the Ethereum price hasn’t moved significantly in recent weeks. This upgrade is what is best for Ethereum and is part of the long game Ethereum is playing to win over future users.
