Glamsterdam - Ethereum's Biggest Upgrade Since The Merge

Ethereum is entering the final testing phase of its most significant upgrade since the transition to Proof-of-Stake in September 2022. The Glamsterdam hard fork, scheduled for June 2026, is set to increase the network's throughput tenfold, reduce fees by 78%, and introduce parallel transaction execution at the base protocol level.

What is Glamsterdam and why it matters

Glamsterdam is the next major Ethereum hard fork following Fusaka, which launched in 2025. The name combines "Glam" with "Amsterdam," honoring the Dutch Devcon 2022 conference. The upgrade addresses two core network challenges: the centralization of block building and state bloat that slows down node synchronization.

Unlike previous hard forks that introduced incremental functional improvements, Glamsterdam represents a comprehensive restructuring of transaction processing architecture. Two key proposals. EIP-7732 and EIP-7928, work in tandem, simultaneously delivering fairer MEV revenue distribution and the ability for nodes to process operations in parallel.

EIP-7732: protocol-level role separation

EIP-7732 introduces Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) - a formal distinction between the proposer, who selects the consensus block, and the builder, who assembles the execution payload from transactions. Previously, this separation relied on external software MEV-Boost, which created an additional centralization vector and dependence on third-party infrastructure.

Integrating ePBS directly into the protocol eliminates the need for middleware intermediaries. The block propagation window expands from roughly 2 to 9 seconds, giving builders more time to optimize block composition and validators more time for verification, without introducing delays for end users.

EIP-7928: parallel transaction execution

EIP-7928 introduces Block-Level Access Lists (BALs), structured registers that specify which storage slots and accounts each transaction in a block will access. With this information available upfront, nodes can identify non-overlapping transactions and process them simultaneously rather than sequentially.

For instance, if one user executes a swap on Uniswap while another deposits into a separate Aave pool, the network will process both operations in parallel. In effect, this transforms Ethereum from a single-threaded chain into a multi-threaded one - a shift comparable in significance to the transition to Proof-of-Stake.

Fees to drop by nearly 80%

Gas cost recalibration through EIP-7904 will align computation pricing with actual hardware costs incurred by nodes. According to developer estimates, a standard ETH transfer will become 71% cheaper, while fees for complex smart contract operations, swaps, liquidity provision, NFT minting, will shrink by up to 78.6%. A decentralized exchange trade that currently costs $3-8 in gas will drop below $1 after Glamsterdam.

For those considering buying Ethereum with Ukrainian hryvnia, the fee reduction means significantly lower costs for subsequent on-chain operations, from DeFi strategies to everyday wallet-to-wallet transfers.

Rollup networks gain expanded data access

Increasing blob slots to 72 per block will dramatically reduce data posting costs for Layer 2 rollup chains. Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and other L2 solutions will be able to post compressed transaction batches to the mainnet without competitive bidding for limited space, directly translating into lower fees for their users.

At the same time, substantially cheaper L1 operations may draw some activity back from Layer 2 to the base layer, which provides stronger security guarantees. This creates a productive competition between ecosystem layers that benefits all participants.

Launch timeline and current status

As of early April 2026, Glamsterdam is undergoing testing on devnet networks. Public testnets with dual audit phases are planned for spring. The tentative mainnet deployment date is June 2026, though developers have repeatedly emphasized that code security takes priority over schedule adherence, making a shift into Q3 entirely possible.

Glamsterdam is part of a comprehensive development roadmap published by the Ethereum Foundation in February 2026. Next in line is the Hegotá (Heze-Bogotá) hard fork, focused on transaction privacy and further network scaling.

Implications for the crypto market

Glamsterdam has the potential to significantly strengthen Ethereum's competitive position against Solana and other high-throughput networks. A tenfold increase in capacity combined with a parallel fee reduction addresses the two main criticisms leveled at the network over the past two years, slow transaction speeds and high costs.

A successful launch could serve as a powerful catalyst for ETH in the second half of 2026, particularly because of growing institutional interest in staking and decentralized finance protocols built on Ethereum.