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Ethereum plans on improving scalability, decentralization, and privacy with this year’s Glamsterdam and Hegota upgrades.
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The upgrade rivals Cardano’s midnight sidechain, which has similar goals.
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ETH and ADA show positive price movements amid the recent market-wide relief rally.
Ethereum plans on implementing Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) and Fork-Choice-Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) within this year’s Glamsterdam and Hegota upgrades. Both aim to uphold network decentralization and scalability while increasing speed, privacy, and security.
PBS will roll out first with the Glamsterdam fork scheduled for the first half of this year. The feature will further separate block builders and validators on Ethereum, preventing large validators from monopolizing and profiting from select transactions, a concept referred to as Maximal Extractable Value (MEV).
On the other hand, FOCIL (EIP-7805), scheduled for the 2nd half of 2026, will compel 16 randomly chosen validators to include certain transactions in their block. This will prevent transaction blocking or censoring on the grounds of perceived profitability.
Ethereum rivals Cardano in network development
In early 2026, Ethereum’s MEV rose to about $24 million in a single month. While profitable for validators, revenue-driven approaches such as front-running and sandwiching resulted in increased network congestion and gas fees for users.
PBS distributes validator power, mitigating MEV-induced centralization that was typically associated with large validators. A bigger version of FOCIL, simply known as “Big FOCIL,” would offer the same benefits as its parent, only on a much larger scale.
Source: X
Rival chain Cardano plans on offering similar benefits with the upcoming Midnight sidechain. The chain would leverage a dual tokenomics system that would enable users to hide sensitive information, including account transactions and balances. This development would also separate private and public computations, making Cardano less congested and effectively lowering gas fees. Midnight will also be regulatory compliant, which will encourage adoption among privacy-centric institutions.
Source: CoinMarketCap
