Ethereum Unveils "Hegota" Upgrade Following Glamsterdam: What’s Next for ETH in 2026?
- Why Is Ethereum’s Hegota Upgrade Making Headlines?
- How Ethereum’s Upgrade Rhythm Is Changing
- What Could Hegota Bring to Ethereum?
- Glamsterdam vs. Hegota: A Strategic Division of Labor
- Ethereum’s Grand Vision: Where Does Hegota Fit?
- The Bottom Line: Why This Matters for ETH Holders
- Ethereum Upgrade FAQs
Why Is Ethereum’s Hegota Upgrade Making Headlines?
During the final All Core Developers Execution Call of the year, Ethereum’s team confirmed that the post-Glamsterdam upgrade will be dubbed "Hegota." The name merges two traditions: DevCon host cities (Bogota) and celestial names for consensus-layer upgrades (Heze). Currently in early planning, Hegota’s scope remains fluid, with key ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) expected to be finalized by February 2026. This upgrade marks Ethereum’s continued evolution from monolithic hard forks to smaller, biannual updates—a strategy aimed at reducing risks and accelerating innovation.
How Ethereum’s Upgrade Rhythm Is Changing
Gone are the days of sporadic, high-stakes hard forks. With Pectra and Fusaka rolling out in 2025, Ethereum has embraced a semi-annual upgrade cadence. This shift allows developers to iterate faster, prioritize improvements, and mitigate technical debt. Glamsterdam (targeting mid-2026) will focus on Layer-1 efficiency, while Hegota (late 2026) is expected to tackle longer-term goals like Verkle Trees—a critical step toward stateless clients. As one BTCC analyst noted, "This rhythm mirrors Agile development; it’s about sustainable progress, not hype-driven leaps."
What Could Hegota Bring to Ethereum?
While specifics are still in flux, here’s what’s on the table:
- Verkle Trees: A decade-old scalability solution that could finally see implementation, reducing node storage burdens by ~90%.
- State Expiry: Mechanisms to prune obsolete blockchain data, addressing Ethereum’s growing "state bloat" problem.
- Execution Layer Tweaks: Potential gas model refinements to better reflect actual resource costs.
Notably, ambitious proposals like slot-time reduction have been deferred—proof that Ethereum’s team is prioritizing stability over flashy changes.
Glamsterdam vs. Hegota: A Strategic Division of Labor
Glamsterdam (H1 2026) will lay the groundwork with Layer-1 optimizations, including:
- Proposer-Builder Separation (PBS) to combat MEV centralization
- Block-level access lists for smoother state access
- EVM gas price recalibration
Hegota then builds atop these improvements, potentially delivering Verkle Trees and other complex upgrades deemed too risky for Glamsterdam’s timeline.
Ethereum’s Grand Vision: Where Does Hegota Fit?
Hegota slots neatly into Ethereum’s post-Merge "phases":
| Phase | Focus | Upgrade Link |
|---|---|---|
| The Surge | Rollup scaling | Fusaka (2025) |
| The Verge | Statelessness | Hegota (2026) |
| The Purge | Historical data cleanup | Post-2026 |
This phased approach—first articulated by Vitalik Buterin in 2022—reflects Ethereum’s commitment to solving scalability without compromising decentralization.
The Bottom Line: Why This Matters for ETH Holders
Ethereum’s structured upgrade process reduces uncertainty—a boon for developers and investors alike. While 2026’s upgrades won’t deliver "one-click scaling," they represent critical infrastructure work. As the BTCC team observes, "Hegota isn’t just another fork; it’s about making Ethereum’s foundation robust enough for the next decade."
Ethereum Upgrade FAQs
When will Hegota launch?
Hegota is tentatively scheduled for late 2026, following Glamsterdam’s mid-2026 release.
Will Hegota require a hard fork?
Yes, but as with recent upgrades, it will be a coordinated "hard fork" with minimal chain disruptions.
How might Verkle Trees impact ETH’s price?
While upgrades rarely cause immediate price swings, long-term improvements to scalability could bolster ETH’s utility—and thus demand.
