The Glamsterdam hard fork enters its final phase: the most significant Ethereum update since The Merge
The key Ethereum network upgrade, codenamed Glamsterdam, has officially entered its final development stage. At this point, all planned Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) are undergoing final testing ahead of the launch of public testnets. The specific activation date for the hard fork has not yet been announced, however, in my estimation, the mainnet launch should be expected in the second half of 2026.
Glamsterdam claims to be perhaps the most significant Ethereum upgrade since the historic transition to Proof-of-Stake — The Merge in 2022. It includes three key components that fundamentally change the network's architecture.
Key Changes in Glamsterdam
The first and perhaps most revolutionary element is ePBS (EIP-7732) — a mechanism for separating responsibilities between validators and block builders. This specification, known as Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation, embeds the role separation directly into the protocol, which should increase the network's resistance to censorship and reduce centralization in the MEV space.
The second crucial element is block-level access lists (EIP-7928). This technology will allow for more efficient management of which addresses and contracts can interact within a single block, significantly reducing the load on client software and increasing the network's overall throughput.
The third component is a comprehensive revision of the gas fee schedule. This is not just about adjusting prices, but a fundamental change in the fee calculation model for various types of transactions and smart contract operations. This should make the network more predictable and fair for users.
As an analyst, I believe that Glamsterdam represents not just another hard fork, but a fundamental shift in Ethereum's architecture. If The Merge solved the energy consumption problem, then Glamsterdam aims to address the structural issues of scaling and censorship resistance. The successful implementation of ePBS, in particular, could be the missing link that makes Ethereum a truly decentralized settlement layer for all of DeFi.