Ethereum developers activate Pectra upgrade on Holesky testnet, finalization pending
Quick Take The Pectra upgrade was activated on the Holesky test network at 4:55 p.m. ET yesterday. This activation marks a key phase in stress-testing the upgrade before it is launched on Ethereum’s mainnet. Despite the planned launch, the network has not been finalized since activation.
The Pectra upgrade, a major update to the Ethereum network, was activated on the Holesky test network yesterday at 4:55 pm ET.
This activation occurred at epoch 115,968 , marking the first major step in stress-testing this upgrade before it reaches Ethereum’s mainnet.
Holesky is one of Ethereum’s test networks, designed to simulate real-world conditions and allow developers to iron out issues in a controlled environment.
The Pectra launch on Holesky hasn’t gone smoothly. While the upgrade launched as planned, the block explorer shows that the network slot from the moment of activation has yet to be finalized.
Ethereum developers are investigating the root cause of the finalization hurdle.
The next step for Pectra is activation on the Sepolia testnet, which is expected on March 5. However, if Holesky’s issues persist, developers might delay Sepolia to allow more time for fixes and additional testing.
Assuming both testnets eventually succeed, the Ethereum team would then choose a mainnet activation date, likely eyeing April .
Pectra brings several changes aimed at improving Ethereum’s scalability, security and usability. These include improving user experience in crypto wallets and account abstraction (EIP-7702), increasing the maximum validator stake limit from 32 to 2,048 ETH (EIP-7251), and doubling the max blob count to boost rollup scalability (EIP-7691).
This follows the Dencun upgrade from March 2024, which significantly reduced Layer 2 fees by introducing blobs.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
Key Market Intelligence for December 5: How Much Did You Miss?
1. On-chain funds: Today, $55.7M flowed into Ethereum; $51.4M flowed out of Base. 2. Top gainers and losers: $OMNI, $FTN. 3. Top news: At 23:00 tonight, the US will release the annual Core PCE Price Index for September, with an expected 2.9%.

Bitcoin's ‘momentum is igniting,’ but these are BTC price levels to watch

Bitcoin accumulation trends strengthen as realized losses near $5.8B

Data-Anchored Tokens (DAT) and ERC-8028: The Native AI Asset Standard for the Decentralized AI (dAI) Era on Ethereum
If Ethereum is to become the settlement and coordination layer for AI agents, it will need a way to represent native AI assets—something as universal as ERC-20, but also capable of meeting the specific economic model requirements of AI.

