Ethereum Glamsterdam Upgrade Enters Final Testing as Developers Target H2 2026
18 Jun 2026 · 10:39 UTC · CoinCentral RSS Feed · Original source
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Summary
Ethereum developers have entered the final devnet testing phase for the Glamsterdam upgrade, targeting mainnet launch in the second half of 2026. The upgrade incorporates ePBS (Encrypted Proposal Builder, defined in EIP-7732) to improve block production efficiency and includes Block-Level Access Lists designed to optimize block execution. A significant feature under consideration is raising Ethereum's gas limit from 60 million to 200 million, which would substantially increase network transaction throughput. The testing and deployment timeline remains on track for H2 2026.
Why it matters
Ethereum upgrade announcements typically affect ALT markets more directly than BTC, as they relate to network utility and developer sentiment. The phased testing approach (devnet → testnet → mainnet) reduces binary shock risk; markets have time to adjust expectations gradually. Gas limit increases from 60M to 200M would substantially improve network capacity, potentially reducing transaction costs and improving user experience—positive long-term catalysts. However, credibility concerns (source authority 0.4) and the speculative nature of future technical delivery temper prediction strength. Near-term impacts (minute/hour) are minimal because this is development-stage news, not a live event trigger. Medium-term impacts (daily-weekly) increase as the upgrade progresses through testing phases and developers confirm feasibility. The positive direction bias assumes no major technical issues surface during testing.
Expected impact
The Glamsterdam upgrade announcement enters the final development phase with planned H2 2026 mainnet deployment. The upgrade's key features—Encrypted Proposal Builder (ePBS/EIP-7732) and Block-Level Access Lists—target improved block production efficiency and potential gas limit expansion from 60M to 200M. For Ethereum (ALT) specifically, these improvements could drive positive sentiment in the medium to longer term by addressing scalability bottlenecks and improving transaction throughput. The market may gradually price in the upgrade benefits as mainnet launch approaches. Bitcoin (BTC) would experience minor positive spillover effects from overall cryptocurrency market sentiment improvements, though the impact remains indirect since this is Ethereum-specific technology development rather than a systemic crypto-market event.