Ethereum Glamsterdam Upgrade: What to Expect in 2026

Ethereum development is moving into another important stage in 2026. After the Fusaka upgrade went live in December 2025, attention across the Ethereum development community has increasingly shifted toward the next major protocol upgrade: Glamsterdam.

Glamsterdam is currently planned for the second half of 2026 and is intended to continue Ethereum’s work on scalability, block processing and long-term protocol efficiency.

For ordinary ETH users, many of the changes may initially be invisible. For developers, validators, infrastructure providers and applications operating directly on Ethereum, however, the upgrade could influence how blocks are built, how state access is handled and how future scaling improvements are implemented.

Ethereum Glamsterdam at a Glance

Area	Current Direction
Upgrade	Glamsterdam
Expected Timing	Second half of 2026
Status	In development
Major Focus	Ethereum Layer 1 scalability and more efficient block processing
Key Proposal	Enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS)
Another Major Area	Block-level access lists
Previous Major Upgrade	Fusaka, activated in December 2025

What Is the Glamsterdam Upgrade?

Glamsterdam is the working name for Ethereum’s next major protocol upgrade following Fusaka.

Ethereum upgrades usually combine changes affecting both the execution and consensus sides of the network. The Glamsterdam name itself combines Amsterdam, associated with the execution-layer upgrade, and Gloas, the consensus-layer upgrade name.

The broader objective is not simply to introduce one new feature. Glamsterdam is part of Ethereum’s continuing effort to increase the amount of activity the network can support while preserving decentralization and security.

One of the most important themes is improving how Ethereum builds and processes blocks so the Layer 1 network can continue scaling more efficiently.

Why Glamsterdam Matters After Fusaka

Ethereum’s roadmap is increasingly built around continuous improvements rather than one final upgrade that completes the network.

Fusaka introduced another major step in Ethereum scaling, including improvements to data availability and infrastructure supporting Layer 2 systems.

Glamsterdam continues the scaling process but focuses on additional changes to Layer 1 architecture.

Upgrade	Primary Direction
Pectra	Validator, account and protocol improvements
Fusaka	Scaling, data availability and network efficiency
Glamsterdam	Block architecture, execution scalability and state-access efficiency

Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation

One of the headline proposals associated with Glamsterdam is enshrined proposer-builder separation, commonly shortened to ePBS.

Ethereum blocks involve several responsibilities, including assembling transactions into a block and having validators participate in consensus around that block.

Proposer-builder separation separates important parts of the block-building process rather than requiring the validator proposing a block to perform every role directly.

The “enshrined” part refers to bringing this separation more directly into Ethereum’s protocol instead of depending entirely on external infrastructure.

The broader goal is to create a cleaner and more robust block-building architecture that can support future scaling while reducing dependence on trusted external systems.

What ePBS Could Change

Area	Potential Direction
Block Building	More clearly separates block construction from validator responsibilities
Protocol Design	Moves important proposer-builder mechanics closer to Ethereum itself
Scaling	Can help validators handle a network processing larger amounts of data
Infrastructure	May reduce reliance on some external block-building assumptions

Block-Level Access Lists

Another major feature under development for Glamsterdam is the introduction of block-level access lists.

Ethereum transactions interact with blockchain state: accounts, contracts, balances and storage locations. Before executing a block, the network normally needs to determine which parts of that state will be accessed.

Block-level access lists are designed to provide information about those dependencies more systematically.

In practical terms, knowing which parts of Ethereum’s state a block will access can create opportunities for more efficient processing.

Why Access Lists Could Be Important

One long-term goal is enabling more work to happen in parallel rather than requiring every operation to be processed in a strictly sequential manner.

Potential Benefit	Why It Matters
Parallel Execution	Independent operations may be easier to process simultaneously
Parallel Disk Reads	Nodes may access required state information more efficiently
Faster Synchronization	More structured information about state dependencies can improve processing
Gas Predictability	State-heavy applications may benefit from more structured resource accounting

These changes are particularly relevant as Ethereum’s state continues to grow and applications become more complex.

Glamsterdam and Ethereum Layer 1 Scaling

Ethereum’s scaling strategy is not based exclusively on making Layer 1 process every end-user transaction directly.

Layer 2 networks remain an important part of the ecosystem, but Ethereum Layer 1 still needs enough capacity to provide settlement, security and data infrastructure for those systems.

Glamsterdam is therefore part of a broader effort to make the base layer itself more capable.

Improving block processing and enabling more parallelism could help Ethereum increase throughput without simply abandoning the decentralization requirements placed on validators and node operators.

Does Glamsterdam Mean Ethereum Will Become Much Cheaper?

Users should be careful with simple predictions about gas fees.

Protocol improvements can increase capacity and efficiency, but Ethereum transaction costs also depend on network demand and what type of operation a user is performing.

A scaling upgrade therefore does not guarantee that every Layer 1 transaction will suddenly become inexpensive.

Ethereum’s broader scaling architecture also continues to depend heavily on Layer 2 systems for lower-cost user activity.

For an explanation of how transaction pricing works, see
Ethereum Gas Fees Explained: How Transactions Are Priced.

What Glamsterdam Could Mean for Developers

Application developers may not need to rewrite every smart contract because a protocol upgrade occurs.

However, changes to gas pricing, execution behavior and state handling can influence how developers optimize applications.

Developer Area	What to Watch
Gas Optimization	Potential changes affecting state-heavy contract operations
Execution	Progress toward more parallel processing
Testing	Client releases and testnet behavior before activation
Infrastructure	Updates required by nodes, RPC services and development tooling
Contract Design	Whether new protocol capabilities create better development patterns

What Does Glamsterdam Mean for ETH Holders?

For ordinary ETH holders, a major Ethereum upgrade generally does not mean that existing ETH needs to be exchanged for a new asset.

Users should be particularly cautious of messages claiming that a protocol upgrade requires sending ETH somewhere, entering a recovery phrase or “converting” existing ETH.

Legitimate Ethereum protocol upgrades are implemented by network software and infrastructure participants.

Wallet users should continue to protect private keys and seed phrases regardless of which network upgrade is approaching.

What Node Operators Need to Watch

Node operators have a more direct role in network upgrades.

Before a protocol change activates, Ethereum client teams publish compatible software versions and network participants need to update their clients according to the release instructions.

Testing through development networks and testnets is an important part of this process because multiple Ethereum client implementations need to behave consistently under the new protocol rules.

Could the Glamsterdam Timeline Change?

Yes.

Ethereum protocol development is coordinated publicly across researchers, developers and client teams, and the timing of upgrades can change as testing progresses.

The current roadmap places Glamsterdam in the second half of 2026, but readers should treat this as a development target rather than an immutable date.

Individual Ethereum Improvement Proposals can also change, be delayed or move to a later upgrade before the final specification is completed.

Glamsterdam Is Part of a Larger Ethereum Roadmap

Ethereum development extends well beyond one network upgrade.

Current research areas include Layer 1 scaling, greater interoperability between Layer 2 systems, stronger censorship resistance, protocol simplification and longer-term work around security and post-quantum readiness.

Glamsterdam should therefore be understood as one stage in an evolving protocol rather than the final version of Ethereum.

Ethereum Upgrade Timeline

Upgrade	Timing	Major Direction
The Merge	September 2022	Transition to proof of stake
Shapella	April 2023	Enabled staking withdrawals
Dencun	March 2024	Introduced blob-based data availability through EIP-4844
Pectra	May 2025	Protocol, account and validator improvements
Fusaka	December 2025	Further Ethereum and Layer 2 scaling improvements
Glamsterdam	Planned for H2 2026	Layer 1 scaling and block-processing architecture

What EtherFree Is Watching

From a developer perspective, the most important Glamsterdam developments to follow are not short-term ETH price reactions but changes to Ethereum’s underlying execution environment.

Progress around ePBS, block-level access lists, gas repricing and parallel execution could influence how Ethereum applications are designed and optimized in the years ahead.

Developers building tokens should continue to follow testnet announcements, client releases and finalized protocol specifications rather than designing production systems around proposals that are still under discussion.

For readers learning the development layer, our guide
How Ethereum Smart Contracts Work
explains how applications interact with the Ethereum execution environment today.

Final Thoughts

Glamsterdam is shaping up to be one of Ethereum’s most important protocol developments of 2026.

Its current direction focuses on improving Layer 1 scalability, reorganizing parts of Ethereum’s block-building architecture and making state access more suitable for greater parallel processing.

The two areas attracting particular attention are enshrined proposer-builder separation and block-level access lists.

However, Glamsterdam remains under development. Its final feature set and activation schedule should be followed through official Ethereum development updates as testing continues.

For EtherFree readers interested in building rather than only following network news, the
Ethereum Token Creation Course
provides a structured introduction to token standards, Solidity, smart contracts, testing and deployment preparation.

Questions and Answers About Ethereum Glamsterdam

What is the Ethereum Glamsterdam upgrade?

Glamsterdam is an upcoming Ethereum protocol upgrade focused on further Layer 1 scaling and improvements to block processing and state access.

When is Glamsterdam expected?

Ethereum’s current roadmap targets Glamsterdam for the second half of 2026. The timing remains subject to development and testing progress.

What is ePBS?

Enshrined proposer-builder separation is an architecture intended to separate important block-building and proposing responsibilities more directly within the Ethereum protocol.

What are block-level access lists?

Block-level access lists provide structured information about which parts of Ethereum state a block is expected to access, helping enable more efficient processing and future parallel execution.

Will users need to exchange their ETH after Glamsterdam?

A normal Ethereum protocol upgrade does not require ordinary users to exchange existing ETH for a new token.

Is Glamsterdam already active?

No. Glamsterdam is currently in development and is planned for a future Ethereum network upgrade.