Ethereum Foundation Publishes 2026 Protocol Roadmap: Three Strategic Tracks Revealed
By Raj Patel | March 3, 2026
The Ethereum Foundation has released its Protocol Priorities Update for 2026, outlining a comprehensive roadmap centered on three strategic tracks: Scale, Improve UX, and Harden the L1.
Scale: Expanding Network Capacity
The Scale track combines L1 execution layer expansion with blob data availability improvements. The upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade will introduce Block-level Access Lists, enabling parallel transaction processing across multiple CPU cores – a fundamental shift from sequential to concurrent execution.
Additionally, ePBS (enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation) will be integrated into the protocol, reducing reliance on external MEV relays and improving validator economics. Gas limits are targeted to reach 100 million or higher, with some proposals suggesting 200 million.
Improve UX: Solving L2 Fragmentation
The Foundation aims to make Ethereum “feel like one chain” again through the Open Intents Framework and Ethereum Interoperability Layer (EIL). These initiatives will enable seamless asset transfers between L2 networks without users managing complex bridging operations.
Native account abstraction through EIP-7701 and EIP-8141 will make smart contract wallets the default, eliminating EOA complexity and enabling features like social recovery and sponsored transactions.
Harden the L1: Security Enhancements
FOCIL (Fork-Choice Inclusion Lists, EIP-7805) will provide censorship resistance by empowering validators to force transaction inclusion. A dedicated post-quantum research team is developing migration paths to quantum-resistant signatures.
Vitalik Buterin has outlined plans to compress slot times from 12 seconds toward 2 seconds through progressive reductions, dramatically improving transaction confirmation times.
Protocol development timelines are subject to change. This article is for informational purposes.
