Ethereum Foundation lays out 2026 plan: post‑quantum security and bigger gas limits

What the Ethereum Foundation announced for 2026

The Ethereum Foundation, the group that helps guide the development of the Ethereum network, shared a clear plan for 2026. The big ideas are to improve security against powerful future threats from quantum computers and to keep making room for more work on the network by increasing the gas limit. They also said they will reorganize the way they develop Ethereum into three main tracks: Scale, Improve UX, and Harden the L1. Each track has its own goals, timelines, and areas of focus. This new structure is meant to help the network grow safely while staying easy to use for people around the world.

Three tracks: Scale, Improve UX, Harden the L1

In the past, Ethereum work happened in different places and sometimes overlapped. The Foundation says the 2026 plan will be organized into three main areas or tracks. Here is what each track covers, in simple terms:

• Scale – This track is about making the network capable of handling more work. It includes making the gas limit higher, testing how new data can be stored and accessed, and introducing what is called the Glamsterdam upgrade. It also includes efforts to make the network’s state smaller over time (so validators don’t have to store endless old information) and to explore new data structures that can help with speed and efficiency.
• Improve UX – This track focuses on making Ethereum easier for people to use. It includes work on native account abstraction, better ways for different parts of the system to work together, and making wallets that hold and use smart contract code the default option. A big idea here is to let users interact with complex programs without needing extra steps or extra gas in many situations.
• Harden the L1 – This track is about keeping Ethereum secure as it grows. It includes post‑quantum readiness (see the definitions section below for what this means), safeguards for the core network, research into stopping censorship of transactions and data, and more testing infrastructure to support faster upgrades and more frequent changes.

Scale: making room for more work while keeping things fast

The Scale track brings together the work on Layer 1 execution scaling and blob data availability. Here are some of the specific ideas involved:

• Gas limit increases – The gas limit is like a fuel cap for each block. A higher limit means more work can be done in each block. The roadmap notes a goal to move beyond 100 million gas per block in the future. Over the last year, the limit rose from 30 million to 60 million, and Ethereum developers are testing how far they can push this safely.
• Client benchmarking and access lists – Clients are the software programs that run Ethereum nodes. Benchmarking means testing their performance so upgrades don’t slow the network. Access lists are a way to tell the network which data will be needed right away, speeding up processing.
• Blob data and blob parameters – Blob data is a way to store large pieces of data off the main chain to help the network scale. The plan includes increasing how much blob data can be used and how it is managed, following earlier upgrades.
• Glamsterdam upgrade – This is named as a key milestone in the scaling path. It will bring scaling components and help the network handle more activity.
• State scaling, repricing, and history expiry – The network stores the current state and historical data. State scaling aims to reduce the amount of data validators have to keep quickly. Repricing means adjusting the value or cost of operations, and history expiry means older, less important data can be pruned to save space.
• Statelessness and new data structures – Statelessness means validators don’t have to remember every piece of data forever. New data structures can help store information more efficiently and speed up processing.

Improve UX: making Ethereum easier to use and more interoperable

The Improve UX track targets smoother, more direct ways for users to interact with Ethereum. Some of the big ideas are:

• Native account abstraction – This is a way to let ordinary user accounts work more like smart contracts for day-to-day actions, while still keeping security. The goal is to remove friction and make it easier to do complex things without extra steps.
• Interoperability – Interoperability means different parts of Ethereum and related systems can work together more easily. The Open Intents Framework is one effort mentioned to help different pieces communicate effectively.
• EIP-7702 – This is a specific proposal that would allow externally owned accounts (the usual user accounts controlled by private keys) to temporarily run smart contract code. In simple terms, it could allow your wallet to perform extra tasks automatically in some cases.
• Smart contract wallets as default – The goal is to make wallets that can run smart contracts the standard option, so users get more features without needing extra tools or paying extra gas in many situations.
• Post-quantum readiness within UX – The team says improving user experience also connects to security against quantum threats. It should be easier for users to stay protected as cryptography changes to meet future risks.
• Faster Layer 1 confirmations and quicker Layer 2 settlement – Users experience shorter wait times for transactions to be confirmed on the base layer, and faster finalization when using Layer 2 solutions that sit on top of Ethereum.

Harden the L1: protecting the core as Ethereum scales

The Harden the L1 track keeps a strong focus on core safety. Key ideas include:

• Post-quantum readiness – Planning security that would still hold even when quantum computers become powerful enough to break some current cryptography. In simple language, it’s about staying safe against new threats.
• Execution-layer safeguards – Making sure the rules that run transactions and smart contracts are robust against problems and abuse.
• Censorship resistance for transactions and blob data – Censorship resistance means it is hard for any single person or group to prevent users from sending transactions or accessing data.
• Testing infrastructure and faster upgrade cadence – Building more and better testing environments so new changes can be tried safely. Faster upgrade cadence means updates can be released more regularly without creating instability.
• Devnets, testnets, and client interoperability – Devnets are testing networks for developers to try new code. Testnets are networks used to test before main use. Client interoperability means different software versions can work together smoothly as updates happen.

What to expect in 2026

The Ethereum Foundation gave a timeline that includes two big upgrades. The first is called Glamsterdam, planned for the first half of 2026. The second is named Hegóta, which they expect to occur later in the year. Each upgrade is expected to bring higher gas limits, more blob data scaling, and progress on several important ideas such as:

• Proposer-builder separation – A design change to separate the job of proposing blocks from building them. This separation can improve efficiency and security by reducing conflicts and increasing decentralization.
• Native account abstraction – As described above, a feature to make accounts work more like smart contracts for everyday use.
• Censorship resistance and post-quantum security – Ongoing work to keep Ethereum accessible for everyone and safe against future quantum threats.

In short, the Foundation’s plan for 2026 is to grow Ethereum’s capability while keeping the system secure and user-friendly. They want to increase the amount of work that can happen in each block, speed up confirmations, and give developers and users better tools, all while preparing for a world where quantum computers exist and could challenge current cryptography.

Why these changes matter to everyday users

Many people interact with Ethereum through apps, wallets, and services that run on the network. Here is what the changes could mean in practice:

• Faster experiences – Shorter wait times for transactions to be confirmed means you can see results sooner when you send money, interact with a smart contract, or use a decentralized application (dApp).
• Lower friction – Features like native account abstraction could allow more automated and flexible ways to use Ethereum without extra steps or complex setups.
• Better security – Post-quantum readiness aims to keep your funds and data safer in the long term, even if powerful new computers become common.
• Future-proof growth – Making the network able to handle more activity and store data more efficiently helps Ethereum stay usable as more people and apps join.

Glossary: quick explanations of key terms

Below are simple explanations of some technical words used in this article. Each term is linked to a short, official Wikipedia definition so you can learn more if you want.

• Ethereum – A decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that enables smart contracts and decentralized applications; its native cryptocurrency is Ether (ETH). It transitioned from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake in The Merge upgrade. Wikipedia
• Post-quantum cryptography – Cryptographic algorithms designed to be secure against attacks by quantum computers, enabling a transition to quantum-safe cryptography as quantum threats emerge. Wikipedia
• Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm – A widely used digital signature algorithm that relies on elliptic-curve cryptography to provide authentication and data integrity with relatively small key sizes. Wikipedia
• The Merge – Ethereum upgrade that transitioned the network’s consensus mechanism from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, reducing energy consumption and enabling future scalability improvements. Wikipedia
• Layer-1 blockchain – The base layer of a blockchain network that operates independently to process and finalize transactions, distinct from Layer-2 solutions built on top of it. Wikipedia

For readers who want more details, these definitions give a quick background. The Ethereum ecosystem uses many ideas from computer science and cryptography, but the main message is simple: the Foundation wants to grow the network in a way that stays secure, fast, and easy to use as many people begin to depend on it every day.