#What is the significance of the upcoming Ethereum upgrade called Glamsterdam?
The Ethereum network is currently on the verge of an important upgrade known as Glamsterdam, which has recently entered its final testing phase. Developers are optimizing all planned enhancements across various multi-client development networks, marking a crucial step before this upgrade reaches public test environments.
Initial testing commenced in May 2026 during the Soldøgn interoperability event. By the end of that month, significant progress had been made towards the stability of these multi-client development environments. Most notably, the integration of the enshrined proposer-builder separation, or ePBS, is largely finalized.
#What changes are introduced with Glamsterdam?
Glamsterdam brings two primary enhancements to Ethereum. The first major feature, ePBS, detailed in Ethereum Improvement Proposal 7732, directly incorporates proposer-builder separation into the protocol. This is a vital shift away from third-party relay systems, as it allows the decisions surrounding transaction inclusion and ordering to be managed on-chain. This change enhances transparency in block production and decreases reliance on external operators.
The second notable feature included in the Glamsterdam upgrade is EIP-7928, which provides block-level access lists. These lists inform blocks upfront of the specific parts of Ethereum’s state they will interact with, an essential step towards enabling parallel execution. While full parallel execution is not implemented in this upgrade, it establishes a foundational structure for processing multiple transactions at once, rather than sequentially.
In addition to these primary changes, several supporting proposals complement the upgrade. EIP-8037 focuses on gas repricing to facilitate higher gas limits while reducing potential attack vectors. Other proposals under active development, such as EIP-7778, EIP-7843, EIP-7976, EIP-7981, and EIP-8024, address various facets of state management and transaction processing.
This upgrade aims to enhance Layer 1 scalability without placing further hardware demands on node operators. As such, it is designed to ensure that individuals running nodes on basic consumer equipment remain included in the Ethereum network.
#How does Glamsterdam build upon previous forks?
The transition from the Dencun fork, launched in 2024 and introducing proto-danksharding (EIP-4844), to the Fusaka upgrade in late 2025 sets the stage for Glamsterdam. The latter upgrade shifts the focus back from rollup-centric scaling to improving Layer 1 throughput.
Following Ethereum’s established naming convention, which combines a celestial body with a city, Glamsterdam is a blend of the star Gloas and the city of Amsterdam.
During the Soldøgn interoperation event, various client teams—like Geth, Nethermind, Besu, and Erigon—worked together to tackle compatibility challenges in real time. The successful creation of stable multi-client development networks paves the way for a subsequent public testnet deployment on Holesky and Sepolia before any activation on the mainnet can occur. Currently, the target timeframe for implementation is set for the latter part of 2026.
#What impact will these upgrades have on the Ethereum ecosystem and investors?
The ePBS integration is particularly significant for those monitoring Ethereum’s Miner Extractable Value or MEV dynamics. Currently, the MEV process relies on external relay and builder networks, limiting protocol control over this aspect of operations. With ePBS, Ethereum enhances competition in block construction, which could diminish the stronghold of prominent relay operators.
The introduction of block-level access lists through EIP-7928 lays the groundwork for parallel execution, which has already been successfully implemented in competing blockchain architectures like Solana, Monad, and Sei.
Gas repricing initiatives via EIP-8037 should also be monitored closely. While the possibility of higher gas limits could allow for more transactions per block, improper repricing strategies may introduce denial-of-service vulnerabilities or disrupt existing smart contracts reliant on current gas structures.
Investors should remain informed about these ongoing developments, as the outcomes of the Glamsterdam upgrade will not only impact transaction efficiency but also shape the overall competitive landscape of the Ethereum network moving forward.