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Tech & Protocols · 2 min read

Ethereum Foundation Details L1 Cost Reductions and Roadmap Through Glamsterdam

Recent hard forks pushed Ethereum base-layer gas fees to fractions of a gwei, shifting app architecture ahead of scheduled capacity upgrades.

Editorial oversight: Julian Mercer, Chief Editor
Bullish
$ETH $2,472 −3.7%

At a glance

What happened
The Ethereum Foundation published a technical review documenting how three protocol upgrades brought L1 fees down to fractions of a gwei [1].
Why it matters
Mainnet execution costs have fallen low enough to make direct L1 deployment feasible again for applications requiring shared liquidity and maximum security [1].
Who is affected
Ethereum mainnet application developers, wallet providers, and node validators [1].
What's next
Glamsterdam upgrade activation is anticipated in the second half of 2026 [1].
Primary source
ethereum.org: Building on Ethereum in 2026: what has changed

Key points

  • Ethereum L1 gas fees fell to roughly 0.15 gwei following the Dencun, Pectra, and Fusaka hard forks, bringing standard transfers to single-digit cents 1.
  • EIP-7702 enables existing EOAs to use smart-account batching and gas sponsorship without migrating to new addresses 1.
  • The upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade targets H2 2026, pairing BALs and ePBS to pave the way for a 200 million gas limit 1.

Protocol upgrades have structurally reduced execution costs on Ethereum layer 1, lowering standard gas prices to around 0.15 gwei and challenging long-held assumptions that mainnet is cost-prohibitive for consumer applications, according to an architectural guide published by the Ethereum Foundation 1.

The drop in base-layer fees follows the cumulative deployment of three major hard forks: Dencun in March 2024, Pectra in May 2025, and Fusaka in December 2025 1. Dencun introduced EIP-4844 blobs to separate rollup settlement from standard execution, while Pectra expanded blob throughput to a target of six and a maximum of nine blobs per block under EIP-7691 1. Fusaka subsequently implemented PeerDAS sampling and standardized the L1 gas limit at 60 million via EIP-7935, while EIP-7825 placed a ~16.78 million gas cap on individual transactions 1. Combined with rollups processing approximately 95% of network activity, the baseline cost of an on-chain $ETH transfer fell to roughly $0.025 under average 0.5-gwei conditions 1. At the time of writing, $ETH traded at $2,466.

Account Abstraction and Glamsterdam Milestones

Beyond lower fees, Pectra introduced EIP-7702, enabling externally owned accounts to execute contract logic without migrating addresses 1. The mechanism allows wallets to delegate authority to deployed code using transaction type 0x04, unlocking native transaction batching via ERC-5792, gas sponsorship, and session keys while retaining the original account control 1. The Ethereum Foundation warned that delegation targets act as critical security boundaries, urging developers to avoid directing users toward unvetted application code 1.

Network developers are now preparing for the Glamsterdam hard fork, scheduled for the second half of 2026 1. As Ethereum schedules Glamsterdam upgrade for Sepolia activation, the release will feature Block-level Access Lists (BALs) and enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) 1. BALs will enable parallelized transaction execution, laying the groundwork to scale the block gas limit from 60 million toward 200 million 1. Subsequent plans for the Hegotá upgrade include Fork-choice enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) under EIP-7805 to prevent transaction censorship, alongside consideration of EIP-8141 Frame Transactions for native account abstraction 1.

Questions this story raises

Why are Ethereum mainnet gas fees lower in 2026?
Blob data channels from Dencun and Pectra, PeerDAS sampling in Fusaka, and a standardized 60 million gas limit moved 95% of execution demand to rollups, leaving L1 with ample spare capacity [1].
What is EIP-7702?
Shipped in the Pectra upgrade, EIP-7702 allows regular externally owned accounts (EOAs) to temporarily point to contract code, enabling features like batching and sponsored gas without address migration [1].
What are the primary features in the Glamsterdam upgrade?
Glamsterdam includes Block-level Access Lists (BALs) to enable parallel transaction execution and enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS), aiming to safely increase the block gas limit toward 200 million [1].

Sources

  1. [1] Building on Ethereum in 2026: what has changed — ethereum.org, October 8, 2026

Written by Basis Desk's newsroom system from the primary sources above and machine-verified against them before publication. Market figures marked "at the time of writing" come from live exchange data. Report an error: corrections@basisdesk.news · corrections policy.

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