The Pectra upgrade on the Ethereum network has been successful, showing significant cost reductions and improvements in the usability of decentralized finance.
Success in Cost Reduction
Since the activation of Pectra, Layer 2 transaction costs have decreased by 68%. A transaction that previously cost $0.50 on Arbitrum now costs about $0.16. Coinbase's Layer 2 processes transactions for under $0.10. Ethereum developers note that we’re seeing usage patterns not even modeled during the Hoodi testing.
Validator Adaptation
Institutional validators quickly adapt to the new staking limit of 2,048 ETH, which is a 64-fold increase from the previous 32 ETH cap. For example, Lido Finance has reduced its validator count by 40% while maintaining the same amount of staked ETH. Individual stakers are also able to increase their rewards by staking between 32 and 2,048 ETH without needing to set up new validators.
Future: Fusaka on the Horizon
With Pectra proving successful, developers are already eyeing the next upgrade named Fusaka, expected in early 2026. This aims to increase blob capacity to 36 blobs. Testing for Fusaka has already begun on the Hoodi testnet, and while developers are cautiously optimistic, they are exploring new possibilities for scaling Ethereum.
Pectra has proven effective in making Ethereum more accessible. The current question is not whether the upgrade succeeded, but how quickly the network can continue to advance.
