Ethereum Pectra upgrade: What it added/removed from Ethereum

July 20, 20254 min read

TLDR;

Ethereum started as a proof-of-work blockchain just like Bitcoin

In 2022, it officially switched to a proof-of-stake system via an upgrade called �The Merge�

Pectra is another major Ethereum upgrade that improves the network�s usability and scalability

Since its launch in July 2015, the Ethereum blockchain has undergone multiple enhancements through upgrades. The blockchain has undergone more than 15 upgrades, each making Ethereum a better decentralized and DeFi network. Of the over 15 updates, Pectra is the latest upgrade as of July 2025. But what did the Ethereum Pectra upgrade add or remove from the network?

Before exploring Pectra, a brief history of Ethereum upgrades.

Major Ethereum upgrades before Pectra

The first Ethereum update was called Frontier, and it also served as the network�s initial launch in 2025. The following year, the Homestead upgrade was released to provide stability to the network. In the same year, Ethereum underwent the DAO fork, an update aimed at addressing a critical breach in the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) operated by a venture capital fund.

The fork was intended to roll back the Ethereum blockchain so that the stolen funds could be returned to their rightful owners. The fork split the Ethereum community into Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).

Other notable Ethereum upgrades

Byzantium - Implemented in 2017 as part of the Metropolis upgrade, it focused on improving Ethereum�s privacy, scalability, and security while also prepping the network for further improvements.

Constantinople - Also part of the Metropolis update and implemented in 2019, it reduced the block rewards.

Istanbul - It arrived in 2019 and improved the blockchain�s interoperability and its ability to thwart denial of service (DoS) attacks.

Muir Glacier - Implemented in 2020, it delayed the activation of the difficulty bomb, a feature meant to increase the mining difficulty on the blockchain.

Berlin - Activated in 2021 to optimize gas costs.

London - Activated in 2021 to further delay the difficulty bomb and to introduce a fee-burning feature. The Arrow Glacier upgrade, introduced in 2022, also delayed the mining difficulty rise.

Paris - Also known as �The Merge,� it came in 2022 and enabled Ethereum to ditch PoW for a PoS consensus mechanism.

Shanghai - Implemented in 2023, it allowed stakers to withdraw their staked ETH. The upgrade was part of the larger Shapella upgrade activated in the same year.

Dencum - Implemented in 2024, it focused on enhancing the scalability of Ethereum scaling layers or layer 2s.

Enter the Ethereum Pectra upgrade.

What is Ethereum Pectra upgrade?

Ethereum Pectra upgrade is an update on the Ethereum blockchain that affects the network's execution and consensus layers. The upgrade went live on May 7, 2025. Pectra is a combination of two upgrades, Prague and Electra. The Prague update focuses on the Ethereum execution layer, while Electra improves the blockchain�s consensus layer.

Key Ethereum improvement proposals in the Pectra upgrade

EIP 7702: Giving EOAs smart contract powers

This Ethereum improvement proposal focuses on smart contract capabilities in wallets. It allows Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) like Ledger and MetaMask to have some temporary smart contract powers. These powers include approving tokens, swapping tokens, paying Ethereum gas fees on behalf of users, supporting multiple authentication methods, and implementing periodic withdrawal limits.

EIP 7251: Increasing Validator Balance

EIP 7251 is a vital Ethereum improvement proposal affecting validators on the network. it increases the allowable ETH balance for validators from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH. It also enhances how validators earn staking rewards, especially for large-scale stakers. The improvement proposal allows existing stakers to merge multiple accounts.

EIP 6116: Reduced validator deposit delay

This enhancement reduced the time validators wait for their deposits to be confirmed from roughly nine hours to about 13 minutes. The previous 9-hour delay was meant to thwart chain reorganization attempts.

EIP 7002: Enhancing validator unstaking/ETH withdrawal

Ethereum improvement improving the validator experience on the blockchain. The upgrade concentrates on how validators withdraw their rewards or stakes.

What did the Ethereum Pectra upgrade bring to the Ethereum ecosystem

Scalability - The Pectra update, through improvement proposals like EIP 7691, increases the network�s transaction processing capacity without hiking validator requirements.

Enhanced user experience - Improvements that allow EOAs to have temporary smart contract capabilities improve Ethereum users�, including developers, experience. The Pectra upgrade also enhances the user experience by allowing transaction batching and wallets to pay gas fees for other users.

Low transaction costs - The Ethereum Pectra upgrade reduces transaction costs on the network, making it more affordable.

Security - The Pectra upgrade also improves the network�s security by addressing potential attack vectors.

Conclusion

The Ethereum Pectra upgrade is among the many updates on the Ethereum blockchain and is certainly not the last. The enhancement improves the network�s user experience, scalability, security, and lowers the transaction costs. What comes after Pectra? After Pectra, Ethereum will implement the Fusaka and Glamsterdam upgrades meant to enhance the network�s scalability and efficiency.