In late March 2025, the Ethereum network kicks off its largest update in history with the Pectra upgrade. This upgrade brings two significant changes: an increase in staking capacity and diversity in fee payments. Currently, validators can stake up to 32 Ether, but with the Pectra upgrade, this amount increases to 2048 Ether. This change allows major investment entities to have a more impactful presence on the network. Another crucial change is the freedom in fee payments. Following this upgrade, users can pay fees not only with Ether but also with other tokens like Tether and USD Coin. Moreover, decentralized applications can cover users’ fees, simplifying network usage. The Pectra upgrade also includes PeerDAS and Verkle Trees technologies that enhance data storage optimization, improve network scalability, and reduce transaction costs. The second phase is expected to be completed in 2026.
