Ethereum Developers Postpone Pectra Update to May 7

The Pectra hard fork will be activated on the main network of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization on May 7, as decided by key developers during a recent call.

The update was initially expected around April 30.

Pectra includes a series of enhancements aimed at improving the convenience and efficiency of Ethereum. The extensive upgrade contains 11 key EIP to be implemented simultaneously. One significant innovation is the addition of smart contract functionality to wallets, simplifying their use and recovery.

The implementation of the hard fork in the Sepolia testnet (consensus layer) and Holesky testnet (execution layer) led to disruptions. In the former case, additional complications were caused by malicious interference.

In Holesky, even after restoring network functionality, it was impossible to verify the upgrade’s functionality regarding validator exits.

Developers decided to create a new long-term testnet to complete the hard fork verification. The test network, named Hoodi, was launched on March 17, and the Pectra update was deployed in the same month.

Earlier, in February, Ethereum developers discussed accelerating network upgrades. The previous hard fork, Dencun, occurred in April 2024.