Pectra

The Ethereum Prague/Electra upgrade, ‘Pectra’ for short, will introduce significant scalability improvements to Ethereum, merging two previously planned upgrades — Prague and Electra — and introducing a range of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at improving the network’s efficiency, security, and scalability.

Key features include EIP-7702, EIP-7251, Verkle trees, and layer enhancements. EIP-7702 introduces smart contract-like features to regular wallets, enhancing security and usability by allowing more flexible control over transactions and wallet recovery options.

EIP-7251 increases the maximum staking limit for Ethereum validators from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, which helps streamline the network by reducing the total number of validators and simplifying operations. Verkle trees (EIP-2935) aim to reduce the data burden on validators by allowing them to operate without storing the full network state, contributing to a more efficient system.

Additionally, various improvements focus on reducing network congestion, lowering gas fees, and increasing the scalability of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)​. Scheduled for implementation sometime in 2025, the Pectra upgrade is crucial for the Ethereum ecosystem’s future development, positioning the network for more efficient smart contract operations, improved validator participation, and better user experience.