Ethereum Foundation Targets Over 100M Gas Limit and Post-Quantum Security in 2026 Roadmap

Highlights:

• The Ethereum Foundation plans to raise the gas limit beyond 100M in 2026 to expand network capacity.
• A new post-quantum team will prepare Ethereum for future cryptographic security risks.
• Upgrades such as Pectra and Fusaka strengthened scalability and validator efficiency.

The Ethereum Foundation outlined its 2026 protocol priorities on Wednesday and set a clear technical agenda. The plan focuses on faster transactions, improved wallet design, stronger cross-chain connectivity, and quantum-resistant security. Developers will push the gas limit toward and beyond 100 million as part of that effort.

The Ethereum Foundation released its 2026 protocol priorities update, outlining three tracks: Scale, Improve UX, and Harden the L1. The update highlights continued efforts to push the gas limit toward 100M+ , advance ePBS and further blob parameter increases, develop a zkEVM…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) February 19, 2026

The network raised the gas limit last year from 30 million to 60 million between two upgrades. Teams will support higher limits with block-level access lists under EIP-7928 and ongoing client performance testing. The upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade will introduce scaling elements, such as ePBS under EIP-7732, and additional repricing modifications. Developers will also increase the size of blob parameters to enhance rollup data throughput. Engineers will move a zkEVM attester client closer to production readiness.

These goals were predetermined by two big upgrades in 2025. Pectra delivered EIP-7702, which allowed externally owned accounts to execute smart contract code temporarily. That update enabled transaction batching, gas sponsorship, and social recovery tools. Pectra also doubled blob throughput and raised the maximum effective validator balance to 2,048 ETH.

Fusaka followed in December and brought PeerDAS to the mainnet. Validators now sample blob data instead of downloading full datasets. This method reduces bandwidth requirements and prepares the network for higher blob targets.

Ethereum Foundation Focuses on Quantum Safety and Smarter Wallets

The Ethereum Foundation placed post-quantum readiness at the center of its security strategy for 2026. Researcher Justin Drake said the Foundation formed a dedicated post-quantum team last month. He described the development as an inflection point in Ethereum’s long-term quantum planning.

Protocol Priorities Update for 2026https://t.co/gW41FhqA4q

— Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn) February 18, 2026

Developers will research quantum-resistant cryptographic systems and improve how the EVM verifies alternative signatures. At the same time, they will strengthen execution safeguards with post-execution transaction assertions and trustless RPC designs. Researchers will also expand censorship resistance studies through FOCIL and related proposals.

Another priority of the Ethereum Foundation is the development of wallets. EIP-7702 was a first step with the ability to execute temporary smart contracts on behalf of externally owned accounts. Nevertheless, developers desire smart contract wallets to be the standard model. Recommendations like EIP-7701 and EIP-8141 are trying to add account logic to the protocol itself. Native account abstraction will support a shift away from ECDSA-based authentication. Developers are working to reduce the gas cost of verifying quantum-resistant signatures.

Interoperability work will continue in parallel. The Open Intents Framework has already reached production. Developers are working to facilitate smoother and minimal trust cross-L2 interactions. The objective will be facilitated by faster Layer 1 confirmations and reduced Layer 2 settlement times.

What the 2026 Upgrade Timeline Means for Users

The Foundation scheduled the Glamsterdam upgrade for the first half of 2026 and plans to follow with Hegotá later in the year. The teams reorganized protocol development into three tracks to coordinate scaling, user experience improvements, and security hardening.

The Ethereum Foundation reflected on last year’s progress in a recent update:

“2025 was one of Ethereum’s most productive years at the protocol level. We shipped two major network upgrades and made meaningful progress on every front we set out to tackle.”

Mario Havel said the team delayed its announcement while preparing what he described as the largest curriculum so far. Earlier this month, Vitalik Buterin outlined his view on Ethereum’s intersection with artificial intelligence. He said Ethereum and AI can work together to improve markets and financial safety. He added that AI should strengthen human agency rather than replace it.

Ethereum Protocol Study Group for 2026 is finally announced!
Starting in less than a week, it took us a while to push out the announcement because we were preparing the biggest curriculum so farhttps://t.co/IhmaB3wdy0

— Mario Havel (@TMIYChao) February 17, 2026