Following the completion of the Fusaka update on the Ethereum (ETH) network, developers are now focused on the next major steps in the roadmap.
Glamsterdam, scheduled for release in 2026, and Hegota, postponed to a later date, stand out as updates expected to play a decisive role in Ethereum’s goals of scalability, transaction costs, and censorship resistance.
Throughout 2025, Ethereum developers frequently stated that they were refocusing on direct scaling of the mainnet. However, the primary impact of the Fusaka update was limited to reducing transaction costs on layer-2 (L2) networks that have reached consensus on Ethereum. Glamsterdam, expected to roll out in 2026, will be the first major step in bringing this approach to the mainnet.
The Glamsterdam update has two main features: block-level access lists and enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS).
Block-level access lists are considered critical, especially for complex applications like DeFi. This structure allows some transactions to be processed in parallel, shortens block verification times, and makes transaction fees more predictable. Significant fee reductions for specific transactions are also possible.
The ePBS mechanism aims to increase the network’s transaction capacity while lowering costs. It can also strengthen the network’s neutrality by increasing the cost of censorship on Ethereum, as argued by anonymous developer Potuz.
A more robust anti-censorship feature planned for Glamsterdam has been postponed to the Hegota update. There is no clear timeline for Hegota yet, and it’s not certain which Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) will be included in this release. So far, only the FOCIL (Fork-Choice Inclusion Lists) feature is in the “under consideration” status.
FOCIL aims to guarantee that every valid transaction is included in a block. This proposal sparked intense debate within the Ethereum developer community throughout 2025. Proponents argue that allowing a limited number of people to dominate block production over time creates a pressure point for censorship by governments or other actors. FOCIL aims to mitigate this risk by empowering validators to request the inclusion of specific transactions in blocks.
However, FOCIL hasn’t convinced everyone. Ameen Soleimani, founder of Privacy Pools, argues that the benefits of this mechanism are exaggerated and could pose serious legal risks, especially for US-based validators. Soleimani recalled that during the Tornado Cash sanctions, approximately 90% of validators refused to include the relevant transactions, but even if only one validator added these transactions, it would have been enough for the network to function. He stated that US validators could face serious sanctions if they were forced to include these transactions.
In contrast, rollup developer Tim Clancy described FOCIL as “the most important proposition for Ethereum.” Clancy, who closely followed the Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm case in New York, argued that this feature is critical to Ethereum’s mission of being the “most neutral block space.”
Ethereum developers will begin discussing which features will be included in the Hegota update starting January 8th. The key topics are expected to be finalized by the end of February.
*This is not investment advice.
