Introduction
Ethereum Glamsterdam is one of the most anticipated Ethereum network upgrades of 2026. Designed to improve Ethereum’s scalability, efficiency, and block-building process, the upgrade is expected to introduce major changes to how transactions are organized and processed on the Ethereum Layer 1 network.
According to Ethereum’s current roadmap, Glamsterdam is planned for the second half of 2026. The upgrade follows Fusaka, which went live in December 2025 and focused heavily on scaling Ethereum’s data availability for Layer 2 networks.
But what exactly is Glamsterdam, and why is the crypto community watching it so closely?
What Is the Ethereum Glamsterdam Upgrade?
Glamsterdam is the name of Ethereum’s upcoming protocol upgrade. The name combines Amsterdam, representing the execution-layer portion, and Gloas, representing the consensus-layer portion.
The upgrade is focused on making Ethereum’s Layer 1 more capable of handling greater activity while maintaining security and decentralization.
Two of its major features are:
Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS)
Block-Level Access Lists (BALs)
Ethereum developers are also working on gas repricing and other improvements that could make the network more efficient for applications and users.
1. Enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS)
One of the biggest changes associated with Glamsterdam is enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation, commonly called ePBS.
Today, specialized block builders play an important role in assembling Ethereum blocks. Glamsterdam aims to move more of this process directly into the Ethereum protocol.
In simple terms, ePBS separates the responsibilities of:
Proposers — validators responsible for proposing blocks.
Builders — participants that construct blocks by selecting and ordering transactions.
By incorporating this separation into Ethereum itself, the protocol can reduce reliance on external middleware and make block production more transparent and robust.
This could be particularly important as Ethereum continues to grow and as transaction ordering, MEV, and block construction become increasingly sophisticated.
2. Block-Level Access Lists
Another major Glamsterdam feature is Block-Level Access Lists, or BALs.
Access lists provide information about which parts of Ethereum's state a block is expected to access. Instead of treating access information only at the individual transaction level, BALs operate at the block level.
Why does that matter?
Knowing dependencies earlier could allow Ethereum clients to perform more work in parallel. Ethereum says BALs can help with:
Parallel transaction execution
Faster synchronization
Parallel disk reads
More predictable gas costs
Lower gas costs for state-heavy applications
This is particularly important for Ethereum as decentralized applications become more complex and demand for on-chain computation continues to increase.
Will Glamsterdam Make Ethereum Faster?
That is one of the main goals, but users should be careful with overly optimistic claims.
Ethereum's developers are working toward significantly higher capacity and more efficient execution. Earlier Ethereum Foundation updates reported progress toward a 200 million gas-limit floor after Glamsterdam, alongside continued work on ePBS and gas repricing.
However, a higher gas limit does not automatically mean every user will experience the same percentage improvement in transaction speed or fees.
Actual benefits will depend on network demand, implementation details, client performance, Layer 2 activity, and which proposals ultimately make it into the final upgrade.
How Glamsterdam Could Affect Ethereum Gas Fees
Ethereum gas fees are determined by network demand and the amount of computation and data required by transactions.
Glamsterdam includes work on gas repricing, with the broader objective of making gas costs better reflect the resources different operations consume.
For developers, this could make some state-heavy applications more economical and improve predictability when designing smart contracts.
For users, the biggest potential benefit is a more efficient Ethereum network.
However, it would be inaccurate to promise that Glamsterdam will permanently make Ethereum transactions cheap. Ethereum fees can still rise when demand for block space increases.
What Does Glamsterdam Mean for ETH Holders?
For ordinary ETH holders, Glamsterdam is primarily a protocol upgrade rather than a new cryptocurrency or separate Ethereum network.
Users generally do not need to manually move their ETH because of the upgrade. Ethereum's official roadmap notes that regular users are typically not required to take action during network upgrades, although node operators and some application developers may need to update their software.
The potential long-term significance for ETH holders comes from the health and competitiveness of the Ethereum ecosystem.
A network that can process more activity efficiently may provide stronger infrastructure for:
DeFi
Stablecoins
NFTs
Layer 2 networks
Tokenized real-world assets
Decentralized applications
Glamsterdam vs. Fusaka
Glamsterdam follows Fusaka, which activated on December 3, 2025.
Fusaka introduced important scalability improvements, including Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS), and increased Ethereum's default gas limit to around 60 million according to Ethereum's current documentation.
The two upgrades therefore have different but complementary focuses.
Together, these upgrades fit into Ethereum's broader strategy of increasing capacity while preserving decentralization and security.
When Will Ethereum Glamsterdam Launch?
The exact mainnet activation date should not be treated as confirmed until Ethereum developers announce it.
Ethereum's current official roadmap lists Glamsterdam for H2 2026. Development has included multi-client devnets and continued testing of ePBS, BALs, and other proposed changes.
This means the upgrade is still part of an active development process, and its final feature set or timing could change.
Why Glamsterdam Matters for Ethereum's Future
Ethereum faces a difficult challenge: it needs to scale while maintaining the decentralization and security that make the network valuable.
Simply increasing capacity is not enough.
Ethereum must also ensure that validators can continue participating, developers can build efficiently, and the network remains resilient as transaction demand grows.
Glamsterdam addresses several parts of this challenge simultaneously.
ePBS aims to bring more of the block-building process into the protocol.
BALs aim to make transaction execution and state access more parallelizable.
Gas repricing aims to better align costs with the resources consumed.
These improvements could help Ethereum build a stronger foundation for the next generation of DeFi, Layer 2s, stablecoins and on-chain applications.
Final Thoughts
The Ethereum Glamsterdam upgrade could become one of the most important stages in Ethereum's 2026 scaling roadmap.
Its key innovations—particularly ePBS and Block-Level Access Lists—are designed to improve how Ethereum builds and processes blocks rather than simply adding more transactions to the network.
For ETH users, developers, validators, and investors, Glamsterdam is therefore worth watching closely.
The most important point is that Glamsterdam is still an evolving upgrade. Its development and testing will determine exactly which features reach Ethereum mainnet and when.
As Ethereum continues moving toward greater scalability, efficiency, and decentralization, Glamsterdam represents another significant step in that long-term journey.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile, and readers should conduct their own research before making investment decisions.