Ethereum Officially Deploys Pectra Mainnet on May 7, 2025

Preparation and testing process

Pectra has had a long road to mainnet readiness. The upgrade was originally scheduled to be tested on two important Ethereum testnets, Holesky and Sepolia, in late February and early March 2025, respectively. However, the process did not go as smoothly as expected. Technical issues arose, forcing the development team to switch to a new testnet called Hoodi for further testing. Fortunately, Hoodi performed well, with no critical bugs reported, paving the way for its official rollout in early May.

The need to create a separate testnet like Hoodi shows the Ethereum team's care in ensuring the stability and security of the network before implementing major changes. It also reflects the scale and complexity of Pectra, as it is not just a routine update but a strategic step towards improving the entire ecosystem.

Pectra Highlights

Pectra is being rolled out in two main phases, with the first phase taking place in 2025 and the second phase scheduled for 2026 under the name Fusaka. In the first phase, the upgrade focuses on several important Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). Most notably:

• EIP-7251: Increases the staking limit from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, making it easier for large investors to participate in transaction validation without having to split their funds into multiple separate wallets. This not only improves flexibility but also encourages greater participation in the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism.

• EIP-7702: An upgrade to EIP-3074, focused on improving the user wallet experience. This EIP simplifies operations such as sending transactions or restoring wallets, thereby reducing the technical barrier for ordinary users.

• Performance Improvements: Other EIPs such as EIP-7691, EIP-7623, and EIP-7549 are designed to optimize transaction processing speed and enhance network security, helping Ethereum maintain its competitive position as other blockchains continue to evolve.

The second phase, Fusaka, will focus on deeper technical improvements such as EVM Object Format (EOF) and PeerDAS, which promise to improve the network's performance and scalability in the future.

Implications for Ethereum and the Community

Pectra is not only a technical upgrade but also a strategic one for Ethereum. Following the success of Dencun (March 2024) with a significant reduction in transaction fees thanks to EIP-4844, Pectra is expected to further strengthen Ethereum's appeal in the decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain applications space. Improvements in staking and user wallets could attract more investors and developers, thereby increasing the real value of the network.

However, this event also comes amid downward pressure on ETH prices. ETH is currently trading around $1,785, down 6.3% in 24 hours and down 13% over the past month, partly affected by macroeconomic factors such as the Trump administration's tariff policies. However, history shows that major upgrades such as The Merge (2022) or Dencun (2024) tend to be positive for ETH prices in the long term. Pectra could be the catalyst for ETH to regain momentum if the market reacts positively after May 7.

Perspectives and prospects

The Pectra launch date is a testament to the Ethereum team’s continued efforts to maintain the sustainability of the network. Despite the challenges they encountered during the testing phase, their persistence and flexibility have paid off. With groundbreaking changes, Pectra not only improves technical performance but also opens the door for Ethereum to be more accessible to mainstream users and large organizations.

In a world where competition among layer-1 blockchains is becoming increasingly fierce, Pectra could be a strong confirmation that Ethereum remains a leading force. However, the success of this upgrade will depend on how smoothly the actual implementation goes, as well as the ability to leverage the improvements to attract more users and investment. May 7, 2025 will certainly be a date that the global crypto community will pay close attention to as Ethereum enters a new chapter in its development journey.