#BNBChainToActivatePasteurHardFork The **BNB Chain** ecosystem is scheduled to activate its major mainnet upgrade, the **Pasteur Hard Fork**.
### Activation Schedule & Requirements
* **Mainnet Launch:** August 25, 2026, at 02:30 UTC.
* **Node Operator Requirements:** Mainnet node operators must update to software version **v1.7.7** prior to activation. Operators must also ensure outdated configuration settings like `EnableBAL` are removed.
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### Core Upgrades & Proposals
* **Enhanced Bridge Security (BEP-682):** Eliminates duplicate validator signature checks during cross-chain transfers to prevent vulnerability exploits and ensure threshold integrity.
* **Validator Key Management (BEP-695):** Tightens control on validator permissions and key rotations, ensuring old keys lose administrative authority upon deactivation and enforcing strict slashing/governance rules.
* **Block Execution Optimization (BEP-675):** Optimizes block construction by allowing builders to submit pre-executed blocks. This reduces validator execution time from 125ms to 15ms, raising testnet capacity from **1,237 TPS to 2,324 TPS** while maintaining 0.45-second block times.$BNB
### Activation Schedule & Requirements
* **Mainnet Launch:** August 25, 2026, at 02:30 UTC.
* **Node Operator Requirements:** Mainnet node operators must update to software version **v1.7.7** prior to activation. Operators must also ensure outdated configuration settings like `EnableBAL` are removed.
---
### Core Upgrades & Proposals
* **Enhanced Bridge Security (BEP-682):** Eliminates duplicate validator signature checks during cross-chain transfers to prevent vulnerability exploits and ensure threshold integrity.
* **Validator Key Management (BEP-695):** Tightens control on validator permissions and key rotations, ensuring old keys lose administrative authority upon deactivation and enforcing strict slashing/governance rules.
* **Block Execution Optimization (BEP-675):** Optimizes block construction by allowing builders to submit pre-executed blocks. This reduces validator execution time from 125ms to 15ms, raising testnet capacity from **1,237 TPS to 2,324 TPS** while maintaining 0.45-second block times.$BNB