Author: Olivia Martinez
The Pectra testnet activation revealed issues in clients with deposit contract configurations changes on Ethereum testnets. While Sepolia’s recovery was straightforward and the network has since fully recovered, Holesky experienced extensive inactivity leaks as part of its recovery mechanism. The Holesky network has since then finalized, but the exited validators would take approximately one year to fully be removed from the validator set (¹). While stakers can test deposits, consolidations and all other Pectra features, the size of the exit queue prevents Holesky from being used to test the full validator lifecycle within a reasonable timeframe. To address this, a…
Ethereum’s weekly All Core Developer calls are a lot to keep up with, so this “Checkpoint” series aims for brief high-level updates with a target cadence of every 4-5 calls, depending on what’s happening in core development. See the initial update here. All subsequent updates will be hosted here on the Ethereum Foundation blog. The past month of calls have been focused on Pectra’s testnet upgrades in anticipation of the Pectra mainnet fork with development of the following fork, Fusaka, pushing forward in parallel. Pectra Both major testnets, Holešky and Sepolia, underwent the Pectra fork and both saw configuration issues…
Since January 2019, the Ethereum Foundation has held a tradition of engaging directly with the community through our “Ask Us Anything” (AMA) series on Reddit, occurring roughly every six months. These AMAs, previously hosted by the EF Research team, have provided a forum for deep dives into the protocol’s evolving landscape, direct Q&A with core contributors, and a transparent look into the ongoing work shaping Ethereum. We are excited to announce the continuation of this tradition. The next AMA will be hosted by the EF Protocol cluster teams, reflecting the evolution of our organizational structure. While “EF Research” accurately described…
Sign Foundation has wrapped its first buyback of SIGN coins. It acquired $8M via the open market and $4M through private settlements. SIGN has gained 11% in the past day amidst revived optimism. Digital currencies performed well on Monday, and positive news flooded the market. While enthusiasts anticipate an altcoin season, the Sign Foundation confirmed it has completed its first buyback of SIGN coins. Notably, the program cost the organization $12 million, a move that signals their confidence in its future. Meanwhile, it completed the buyback in two different transactions. The Foundation purchased SIGN coins worth $8 million (117 million…
Fear & Greed Index hits 63, up from “Neutral” the day before. Profit-taking among short-term BTC holders has eased. Analysts see potential for BTC breakout toward $125,000. Bitcoin regained ground above $114,000 on Thursday, marking a return in investor confidence after a volatile weekend triggered short-term jitters across the cryptocurrency market. As sentiment improved, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index climbed to 63 — a level that signals “Greed” — suggesting traders anticipate further upside despite recent turbulence. The bounce follows Bitcoin’s decline to $112,000 over the weekend, down from its mid-July peak of $123,100. However, the modest 1% rebound…
SEC staff said certain liquid staking activities do not constitute the sale of securities in a new clarification. The statement clarifies that “Staking Receipt Tokens” do not need to be registered under securities laws. SEC Chair Paul Atkins called the move a “significant step forward in clarifying the staff’s view” on crypto activities. In a significant and widely welcomed move, the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance has issued a statement clarifying its view that certain liquid staking activities associated with protocol staking do not constitute the sale of securities. This clarification, released on August 5,…
TL;DR: The EPF successfully concluded the fifth cohort, Study Group 2025 and is preparing for cohort six (EPF6). Applications will be announced soon, keep an eye on the EF blog! In the meantime, get ready by enhancing your Ethereum protocol knowledge at EPF.wiki and sign up for the newsletter to get notified about announcements. The Ethereum Protocol Fellowship completed its fifth cohort, culminating with EPF Day at Devcon in Bangkok. Its completion marked 5 months of immersive learning, research and contribution to the Ethereum core ecosystem from a group of talented and dedicated fellows. Client devs and researchers welcomed new…
TL;DR: We are excited to announce that the applications are now open for the sixth cohort of the Ethereum Protocol Fellowship (EPF6). The EPF provides a pathway for aspiring protocol developers to make meaningful contributions to Ethereum. In each cohort, a diverse group is assembled to work toward advancing Ethereum’s roadmap during the fellowship. This includes the development of client implementations, testing and specifications, and participating in the latest core protocol research. With an overarching goal to find eventual placement for fellows in R&D teams working on core protocol development, EPF provides fellows with a unique opportunity to collaborate with…
We’re kicking off the road to Devconnect in Buenos Aires (Nov 17–22) with Destino Devconnect, a community-powered push to bring Argentina onchain. From now until November, we’re inviting local builders, organizers, and enthusiasts to unite under one banner to accelerate Ethereum adoption in Argentina and across Latam. What is Destino Devconnect? Destino Devconnect is a local grant round to support what Argentinian builders are already doing: onboarding newcomers, forging deeper ties with institutions, showcasing Ethereum apps, and fostering collaboration. We see your work and share your passion, and we’re here to help amplify it. Who it’s for You’re already on…
The Pectra network upgrade is scheduled to activate on the Ethereum mainnet on May 07, 2025 at epoch 364032 (10:05:11 UTC)! Mainnet client releases are listed below. Pectra Overview Pectra follows last year’s Dencun upgrade. It introduces features to augment Ethereum accounts, improve the validator experience, support L2 scaling and more! This post explores these three major improvements in detail. For a more comprehensive overview, see ethereum.org’s guide to the upgrade. From EOAs to Smart Accounts EIP-7702 represents a major step toward widespread account abstraction, enabling users to enhance their Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) with smart contract functionality. This hybrid…