The Ethereum Foundation is gearing up for a transformative 2026, with a suite of ambitious protocol priorities designed to enhance scalability, improve user experience, and fortify the network against future threats. In a statement released on Wednesday, the foundation outlined its plans to significantly increase the gas limit, enhance smart wallets, and ensure the network’s readiness for the quantum computing era.
Scalability at the Forefront
One of the key focuses for 2026 is the continued scaling of the gas limit, which dictates the maximum amount of computational work a block can handle. The foundation aims to push this limit “toward and beyond” 100 million, a goal that has been a hot topic of discussion among the Ethereum community. Community member and Ethereum educator Anthony Sassano suggested in November 2025 that increasing the gas limit to 180 million in 2026 is a baseline rather than a best-case scenario.
Post-Quantum Readiness
With the rise of quantum computing, the Ethereum Foundation is taking proactive steps to ensure the network remains secure. The formation of a new Post-Quantum (PQ) team, announced by Ethereum researcher Justin Drake on Jan. 24, marks a significant milestone in the foundation’s long-term quantum strategy. “Today marks an inflection in the Ethereum Foundation’s long-term quantum strategy,” Drake stated.
Enhancing User Experience
Improving user experience is another critical priority for 2026. The foundation plans to enhance smart wallets through native account abstraction, making them more user-friendly and secure. Additionally, the focus will be on enabling smoother cross-layer 2 (L2) interactions, with the goal of achieving seamless, trust-minimized transactions. “Continued progress on faster L1 confirmations and shorter L2 settlement times directly supports this,” the foundation noted.
Reflecting on 2025
The foundation highlighted 2025 as one of the most productive years, citing two major network upgrades—Pectra and Fusaka—and the community’s successful push to raise the gas limit from 30 million to 60 million, the first increase since 2021. “It took us a while to push out the announcement because we were preparing the biggest curriculum so far,” said Mario Havel, an Ethereum Foundation member, in an X post on Wednesday.
Vision for the Future
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently shared his vision for the intersection of Ethereum and artificial intelligence (AI). In a post on Feb. 10, Buterin outlined how AI and Ethereum can work together to improve markets, financial safety, and human agency. He emphasized that the broader vision is to empower humans rather than replace them, though he acknowledged that the short term involves more “ordinary” ideas.
As the Ethereum Foundation looks ahead to 2026, these ambitious goals reflect a commitment to innovation, security, and user-centric improvements. The coming year promises to be a pivotal period for the Ethereum ecosystem, setting the stage for continued growth and resilience in the face of emerging technological challenges.
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