Ethereum Pectra upgrade brings 2,048 ETH staking and new features

Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) activated its Pectra upgrade on May 7, 2025, marking a significant update for the blockchain network.

The upgrade introduces several Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) focused on scalability, staking, and smart account functionality, according to developers.

One of the central changes is EIP-7251, which raises the validator staking limit from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, making it easier for large participants to manage their stakes and potentially streamlining operations for institutions.

EIP-7702 allows externally owned accounts to operate as smart contracts, enabling users to pay transaction fees in tokens other than Ether and facilitating features like gasless transactions and more flexible permissions.

According to 0xAw, a lead developer at a layer-2 decentralised exchange, this update could “remove a significant barrier to entry for new people” by providing a user experience closer to traditional web applications.

“It enables a Web2-like UX by hiding many of the underlying scaffolding from users,” he noted.

However, some experts have expressed concerns about security.

“EIP-7702 expands that trick from one token to the whole wallet,” commented Mike Tiutin, chief technology officer at PureFi, referencing the risk of users signing potentially harmful messages.

Despite these concerns, others remain confident in the security of the new features, citing industry experience in creating secure smart contracts.

The Pectra upgrade also includes EIP-7691, which increases the number of data blobs per block, supporting better scalability for layer-2 solutions and aiming to reduce transaction fees.

The rollout followed extensive testing on the Sepolia testnet and is part of Ethereum’s ongoing roadmap to improve efficiency and usability.

Christine Kim, a researcher at Galaxy Digital, described the timeline as “tentative and optimistic,” acknowledging that unforeseen issues could cause delays.

At the time of reporting, the Ethereum (ETH) price was $1,830.59.