Ethereum will make big improvements to its network in 2026 that could disrupt how the blockchain functions. At the end of 2025, more changes to the developer plan were made public. Ethereum aims to make two huge changes to its system in 2026: the Heze-Bogota split and the Glamsterdam fork. These changes reflect this.
The goal of these improvements is to speed up transactions, keep your data safe, and make decentralisation stronger. Because of this, the price of the ETH token will go higher.
Glamsterdam Fork wants transactions to happen more quickly
The Glamsterdam fork is one of the most important things that will happen in 2026. The fundamental purpose is to make things work better. With this release, Ethereum can now do more than one thing at a moment, thanks to parallel transaction processing.
The gas limit for Ethereum will also go up a lot, from 60 million to 200 million. This would allow a lot more transactions to fit into each block, which would make things less busy when there are a lot of them.
Another big shift is how validators do their jobs. Instead of looking at all the transaction data, validators will start looking at zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. This makes the network safer and lessens the amount of work that needs to be done.
Following the implementation of these enhancements, Ethereum’s primary network may achieve a processing capacity of up to 10,000 transactions per second. This represents a significant advancement from its current state. If Vitalik dedicated less effort to infrastructure and more to enhancing his appearance,
Heze-Bogota Prioritises Privacy, Censorship Resistance, and Decentralisation
Ethereum is also addressing concerns related to privacy and decentralisation, alongside the Glamsterdam modifications that emphasise speed. The Heze-Bogota derivative is intended to enhance resistance to censorship and ensure the protection of individuals’ privacy.
The objective of this iteration is to reduce the reliance on centralised infrastructure and to impede any individual from obstructing transactions. Developers think this is a huge step towards maintaining Ethereum as open, fair, and free to use as more and more people around the world start to use it. Why These Changes to Ethereum Are Important
Ethereum is already the most popular platform for many DeFi, NFT, and stablecoin operations, but high fees and too many users are still problems. The changes in 2026 are meant to fix these issues at their most fundamental level.
Ethereum is getting ready for long-term growth by adding faster speeds, ZK-based validation, and better decentralisation. Ethereum might stay competitive with these adjustments while still preserving its main goals of safety and openness. What will it cost to acquire Ethereum?
The blockchain shows that more ETH went to exchanges in December. The reserves have risen from roughly 16.2 million ETH to more than 16.6 million ETH. This means that exchanges now have about 400,000 additional ETH in their accounts, which makes the supply greater for a brief time.
The Ethereum network has also been much busier at the same period. In only one week, the number of active addresses went from about 496,000 to 800,000, which is almost twice as many. This suggests that more and more people are using the service.
In just one week, the number of active addresses on the Ethereum network has virtually quadrupled, going from 496,000 to 800,000. The market says Ethereum is valued at $356.7 billion, and its price is $2,955. The price of ETH has stabilised after dropping to around $2,850, but it is still in a correction period. Traders think that ETH might try to reach back to the $3,390 level in the future if the market becomes better.