The post Ethereum Devs Begin Pectra Testing—New Rewards, Account Abstraction & L2 Scaling appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade begins testing on Holesky testnet today, with Sepolia following on March 5, aiming for scalability and better validator incentives. Pectra increases Ethereum validator staking limits from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, attracting larger stakeholders and strengthening network security. Ethereum developers are rolling out a major network upgrade called Pectra, with initial testing started on the Holesky testnet at 9:55 PM UTC today. The Sepolia testnet will follow on March 5 at 7:29 AM UTC. These testnet trials mark an important step before Pectra reaches Ethereum’s mainnet, bringing improvements to scalability, validator incentives, and user experience. The Ethereum Foundation confirmed that Pectra would launch on Holesky at epoch 115,968, while Sepolia’s activation is scheduled for epoch 222,464. Once both testnets successfully integrate Pectra, developers will decide on a mainnet activation epoch. Given the scope of improvements, Ethereum’s transition toward a more user-friendly and scalable blockchain is gaining momentum. Source: Ethereum Pectra is the first major Ethereum upgrade since the Dencun hard fork, which went live on March 13, 2024. That upgrade drastically cut transaction fees for layer-2 solutions and improved Ethereum rollups’ efficiency, pushing the network further toward mainstream adoption. Validator Rewards Surge from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH One of Pectra’s most significant changes lies in validator rewards. Currently, Ethereum validators can stake a maximum of 32 ETH while earning rewards. With Pectra, that limit skyrockets to 2,048 ETH, providing larger stakeholders with greater incentives to help secure the network. This change is expected to attract more institutional participation in Ethereum staking. The shift aligns with Ethereum developers’ broader strategy of enhancing the network’s security and making validator participation more rewarding. Ethereum’s upgrade strategy has been accelerating. On February 13, Ethereum’s core developers and ecosystem leaders held an “All Core Devs” meeting, where they pushed for a…

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Filed under: News - @ February 25, 2025 2:22 pm