Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Goes Live — Here’s What to Expect

Ethereum’s biggest network upgrade of 2025, Pectra, is now live — bringing smart accounts, higher staking limits, and major scalability improvements.

What Is the Pectra Upgrade?

On May 7, 2025, Ethereum developers activated the Pectra upgrade at epoch 364032. The upgrade introduces critical Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs):

• EIP-7702: Smart account support for externally owned accounts
• EIP-7251: Raises validator staking limit from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH
• EIP-7691: Boosts layer-2 scalability with more data blobs per block

Smart Accounts: The Start of True Web3 UX

EIP-7702 brings “smart account” capabilities, allowing users to:

• Pay gas fees with non-ETH tokens
• Automate transactions
• Enable app-specific permissions
• Eliminate repetitive wallet pop-ups

Better for Institutions: Staking Now More Flexible

EIP-7251 raises the validator limit to 2,048 ETH, making institutional Ethereum staking simpler and more secure.
No more waiting 13 hours to withdraw — exit time is now reduced to 13 minutes.

Deep Consensus Upgrade: On-Chain Validator Deposits

EIP-6110 enhances validator onboarding by including deposit data directly in execution-layer blocks, increasing speed and transparency.
Previously reliant on delayed Merkle roots, Ethereum’s staking protocol is now faster and cleaner at the consensus level.

Security Pros & Cons

While smart accounts simplify UX, critics warn they could expose users to new wallet drainer risks.

• 0xAw: “One wrong signature can now drain the entire wallet.”
• Ambire CEO: “Industry is ready for secure delegation. Risk remains manageable.”