Ethereum developers have officially locked in 7 May 2025 as the new mainnet launch date for the long-anticipated Pectra upgrade.
The decision was finalised during the All Core Developers Consensus (ACDC) call held on 3 April 2025, following the successful execution of the upgrade on the Hoodi testnet.
The upgrade had originally been expected in late April, with developers previously aiming for 30 April.
However, they agreed to postpone the launch by one week to give everyone more time to prepare and ensure that the rollout happens smoothly.
This slight delay reflects the developers’ cautious approach, especially after earlier testnet issues.
During the call, a researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, Alex Stokes, announced the confirmed date. “We’ll go ahead and lock in May 7 for Pectra on mainnet”, he said.
He also confirmed that client software releases—the updates necessary for Ethereum node operators and validators—will be available by 21 April. These releases are essential to get all participants up to date before the upgrade activates.
In addition, a detailed blog post explaining the Pectra upgrade will be published on 23 April. This guide will help users, developers, and stakeholders understand the technical details and the changes coming to the Ethereum network.
Key changes in the Pectra upgrade
The Pectra upgrade brings a wide range of changes to the Ethereum network through 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). These changes aim to improve how Ethereum handles staking, user experience, and scalability.
One of the biggest updates is EIP-7251, which raises the maximum staking limit for Ethereum validators. Currently, validators can only stake 32 $ETH per node. With this change, the limit will increase to 2,048 $ETH per validator.
This is especially helpful for large-scale stakers and staking providers, as it allows them to consolidate their operations. Rather than managing many smaller validators, they’ll be able to run just one node with a larger stake.
An analyst familiar with the change explained that this would simplify operations by allowing users to manage multiple validators under a single node instead of several.
Another important addition is EIP-7002, which introduces a new feature for Ethereum validators—execution-layer triggerable withdrawals. This gives validators greater control over when and how they withdraw their staked $ETH.
It removes some of the limitations currently in place and makes the process more flexible for those maintaining the network.
To make the staking process more efficient overall, EIP-6110 will reduce the deposit processing delay. Right now, new deposits can take up to nine hours to be fully processed.
After the Pectra upgrade, that time will drop to just 13 minutes, making the staking experience much faster and more accessible for users.
On the user side, EIP-7702 plays a major role in improving everyday interaction with the Ethereum network. It brings Ethereum closer to the concept of account abstraction, allowing normal user accounts—known as Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs)—to act more like smart contracts. This unlocks several new capabilities.
With this upgrade, users will be able to batch multiple transactions into one, which makes interacting with apps more efficient. There will also be gas sponsorship options, where third parties can cover transaction fees on behalf of users.
Additionally, users can benefit from passkey-based logins, removing the need for complex passwords or private keys.
Spending limits will allow users to control how much $ETH can be moved from their accounts, and asset recovery features will offer better options for retrieving funds if access is lost. All these improvements aim to make Ethereum simpler and safer for everyone.
In terms of network scalability, EIP-7691 focuses on increasing the maximum blob count. Blobs are used to handle large amounts of extra data, and are especially important for rollups, which help Ethereum scale by running transactions off-chain before recording them on-chain.
By increasing the blob capacity, Ethereum can support more data-heavy applications and reduce congestion.
To help manage the additional data traffic, EIP-7623 has been included in the upgrade. This proposal helps balance the bandwidth requirements, ensuring that even with more blobs and larger data volumes, the network remains stable and efficient.
Overall, these eleven EIPs are designed to enhance Ethereum’s staking experience, user friendliness, and scalability, laying a foundation for future upgrades and improvements across the ecosystem.
Progress through testing, delays, and market pressures
The path to the Pectra upgrade has not been without its difficulties. Earlier test runs on Ethereum’s Holesky and Sepolianetworks did not finalise properly, raising concerns that needed to be addressed.
Without full finalisation, the network cannot safely complete transactions or blocks, which is a critical issue for any upgrade.
However, these setbacks were overcome with the successful finalisation of Pectra on the Hoodi testnet on 26 March. This test was crucial. It gave developers the confidence to move forward with planning the mainnet launch, knowing that the upgrade could function reliably under test conditions.
During a developer meeting in March, the team had mentioned that if the Hoodi test went well, they could aim for a mainnet deployment around 30 days later. That timeline led to the original estimate of 30 April.
With the Hoodi test now complete and no major issues found, the launch has only been delayed slightly to 7 May to give everyone involved—developers, node operators, and stakeholders—more time to prepare.
Despite the progress on the technical side, Ethereum’s native token, $ETH, has been facing market challenges. According to data available online, the token saw a 4.8% decline over the past week, with total weekly losses reaching 17.1%. At the time of writing, $ETH is trading at $1,822, a modest 0.8% daily gain.
These price movements don’t directly reflect the upgrade itself but show that the market remains cautious amid broader concerns.
Still, the Ethereum community hopes that Pectra’s improvements will eventually support stronger performance, both in terms of network usage and user confidence.
Looking ahead, Ethereum clients—such as those needed to run nodes—will be ready by 21 April. These updates will give node operators and validators time to install the latest versions and avoid issues during the switchover.
Then, on 23 April, a full blog post will be released, breaking down the upgrade in detail and offering step-by-step instructions and background.
With the 7 May launch date approaching, Ethereum is preparing to enter its next phase. The Pectra upgrade aims to resolve long-standing challenges related to staking limits, slow deposit times, scalability, and limited account functionality.
If all goes as planned, it will mark a major leap forward for the Ethereum network.
