Ethereum developers have officially entered the final stretch of work on Glamsterdam, the network's next major upgrade, which is being described as one of the biggest protocol overhauls since the Merge. In a significant milestone, teams have begun testing a version of the fork in a closed development environment, known as a devnet, that includes all the Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) slated for the upgrade.
According to multiple developers involved in the process, the devnet is the first time that all proposed changes have been combined and tested together. This marks a critical step before moving to public testnets such as Sepolia and Holesky, which are typically the last environments before a mainnet fork. The upgrade is expected to ship in the second half of 2026, though no exact date has been set.
What Is Glamsterdam?
Glamsterdam is the working name for the Ethereum network's next hard fork, following the Dencun upgrade that activated in March 2024. While Dencun focused on proto-danksharding (EIP-4844) to reduce layer-2 transaction costs, Glamsterdam is a far more ambitious set of changes. It is being compared to the Merge in terms of scope and impact, albeit without the consensus mechanism switch. Instead, Glamsterdam targets the execution layer and introduces sweeping changes to account abstraction, virtual machine architecture, and block building.
Key EIPs expected to be included range from EIP-7702, which enables smart-contract wallets to function as native accounts, to EIP-3074 and EIP-5003, which together aim to streamline user experience by allowing externally owned accounts (EOAs) to delegate control to smart contracts. Other proposals like EIP-2537 (BLS12-381 curve operations) and EIP-4788 (beacon block root in EVM) are also under consideration.
Background and Context
Ethereum's development cycle follows a pattern of regular upgrades. After the Merge in September 2022 transitioned the network from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, subsequent upgrades—Shanghai, Capella, and Dencun—focused on staking withdrawals and data availability. However, Glamsterdam represents the first time since the Merge that developers are tackling fundamental protocol changes to the execution environment itself.
The upgrade is named after a city known for its innovation and progressive policies, continuing Ethereum's tradition of using city names from the Devcon conference series. Glamsterdam follows Dencun (Denver + Cancun) and is set to be followed by future upgrades like Osaka and Fulu.
Christine Kim, a research associate at Galaxy Digital who tracks Ethereum development, noted that the scale of Glamsterdam is 'unprecedented for a single upgrade outside of the Merge.' She highlighted that the number of EIPs being considered and their interdependencies make coordination among clients especially challenging.
Technical Details and Impact
One of the most anticipated features is account abstraction via EIP-7702. This would allow users to transact without needing to hold ETH for gas fees, enabling gas payment in tokens or via sponsored transactions. Combined with EIP-3074, which introduces a new opcode to authorize a contract to execute transactions on behalf of an EOA, Glamsterdam could dramatically improve wallet usability. This is seen as a stepping stone toward mass adoption, as it reduces friction for non-crypto-native users.
Another major component is changes to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). EIP-7692 introduces a new EVM object format (EOF) that separates code and data, improves contract introspection, and makes the EVM easier to optimize for execution clients. This is expected to reduce gas costs for certain operations and improve security by preventing common vulnerabilities like reentrancy attacks.
Additionally, EIP-7251 (max effective balance increase) would allow validators to hold more than 32 ETH, reducing the number of validators needed and easing network load. This change is particularly relevant as the validator set has grown to over 1.5 million, putting strain on the beacon chain's p2p layer.
Development Timeline and Testing Phases
The current phase involves a devnet run by the Ethereum Foundation's testing team. Multiple client teams—including Geth, Nethermind, Besu, and Erigon—are participating. The devnet is designed to identify bugs, performance issues, and consensus failures before the upgrade is exposed to a wider audience.
Once the devnet is stable, developers will move to 'shadow forks' of mainnet, followed by public testnets. The timeline suggests that Sepolia and Holesky testnets could be upgraded in late August or September 2026, with mainnet activation likely in November or December, assuming no critical issues arise.
However, some developers have expressed caution. Tim Beiko, the Ethereum Foundation's protocol support lead, has emphasized that the scope of Glamsterdam could slip if certain EIPs aren't ready. In the past, upgrades have been delayed or had EIPs removed at the last minute. Dencun, for example, originally included EIP-1153 (transient storage) but was postponed multiple times before finally being included.
Market and Ecosystem Reactions
The announcement of Glamsterdam's final development stage has generated positive sentiment among Ethereum stakeholders. ETH price has risen modestly in anticipation, though markets remain volatile. Layer-2 solutions, which stand to benefit from improved data availability and execution efficiency, have also seen increased activity.
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum's co-founder, has been a vocal proponent of the changes in Glamsterdam, particularly account abstraction and EVM improvements. In a recent blog post, he described the upgrade as 'a foundational step toward a more user-friendly and decentralized future.'
Critics, however, point to the complexity and risk of implementing so many changes at once. The DAO hack in 2016 and the Istanbul upgrade issues are cautionary tales. Nonetheless, Ethereum's development community has matured significantly, with extensive testing and formal verification practices now standard.
Comparison to Previous Upgrades
To understand the significance of Glamsterdam, it is useful to compare it with previous milestones. The Merge was the biggest technical transition in blockchain history, moving from PoW to PoS. It was a one-time event that required years of preparation. Glamsterdam, while not as fundamental, touches more areas of the protocol than any single upgrade since then.
Dencun introduced proto-danksharding (blobs) which benefited layer-2 scaling, but it did not alter the core EVM or account model. Shanghai and Capella mainly enabled staking withdrawals. Glamsterdam, by contrast, changes how accounts work, how the EVM processes bytecode, and how validators stake. This is why developers describe it as an 'overhaul.'
Moreover, the upgrade is being designed to be backward-compatible as much as possible, but some EIPs may require updates to smart contracts and dApps. The Ethereum Foundation has already started an educational campaign to inform developers about upcoming changes and how to prepare.
What Comes After Glamsterdam?
Looking ahead, Ethereum's roadmap includes further upgrades such as 'The Purge' (historical state expiry and removal of empty accounts), 'The Scourge' (MEV reform), and 'The Verge' (Verkle trees for stateless clients). Glamsterdam lays the groundwork for these by modernizing the execution layer. If successful, it could accelerate the timeline for these later upgrades.
There are also discussions about incorporating 'peerDAS' (peer data availability sampling) in a future upgrade, which would further scale data availability for rollups. But for now, the focus remains on delivering Glamsterdam safely and on time.
In summary, the final development stage of Glamsterdam represents a pivotal moment for Ethereum. The devnet testing is underway, and developers are optimistic but cautious. The upgrade promises to enhance user experience, improve security, and reduce costs, while setting the stage for the next generation of Ethereum scaling. The crypto community will be watching closely as the testnets go live in the coming months.
Source: Coindesk News