Ethereum Pectra Upgrade Set for March 2025: Key Details

Ethereum developers have set March 2025 as the target for deploying the Pectra upgrade. The timeline was finalized during the Execution Layer Meeting on January 16. 

The meeting outlined key steps leading to the mainnet activation. 

The Long-Awaited Ethereum Pectra Upgrade 

The much anticipated Ethereum Pectra Upgrade will bring significant improvements to the network. It will combine eight Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) into a single upgrade. 

Among the notable changes is EIP-7702, which improves wallet functionality by enabling them to act like programmable smart contracts. 

This improvement, based on an idea from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, is part of efforts to simplify wallet use and implement account abstraction.

“Ethereum developers plan to launch the Pectra mainnet upgrade in March 2025, with testnet forks on Sepolia and Holesky scheduled for February. Developers have conducted short devnets and launched the Mekong testnet in November 2024 to test key components ahead of the mainnet rollout,” wrote crypto influencer Scott Melker, aka Wolf of All Streets. 

Another major change is EIP-7251, which increases the staking cap for validators from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH. This adjustment eliminates the need for validators to split stakes across multiple nodes. This will streamline the staking process and reduce setup delays. 

Currently, validators with stakes exceeding 32 ETH must operate numerous separate nodes. Validators often face long queues for activation.

The Pectra upgrade is Ethereum’s first major overhaul since the Dencun update in 2024. It was initially planned as the largest hard fork in the blockchain’s history. However, developers decided in September to scale back the scope of the upgrade by splitting it into two phases. 

Testing on the Sepolia and Holesky test networks is scheduled for February. If all tests proceed as planned, deployment to the mainnet is expected in early to mid-March.

ETH Remains Unimpressive in the Bull Market

Despite the announcement, Ethereum’s market performance has shown limited growth. Over the past week, ETH saw only a 4% increase, underperforming Bitcoin’s 10% gain. Other altcoins like XRP has shown stronger growth. 

Overall, Ethereum’s price has remained below $3,800 since January, and its market dominance continues to lag amid broader consolidation trends.

In a related development, Buterin shared additional proposals last October to address centralization risks in Ethereum’s proof-of-stake system. His suggestions include splitting block production tasks and revising staking incentives to preserve decentralization. 

Also, Buterin highlighted the dangers of over-staking and recommended adjusting the issuance curve to maintain network security.