# Ethereum Pectra Hardfork Goes Live **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [May 7, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://governance.puffer.fi/t/ethereum-pectra-hardfork-goes-live/209 "2025-05-07T22:50:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jordan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/governance.puffer.fi/jordan/32/43_2.png) [@Jordan](https://governance.puffer.fi/u/Jordan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://governance.puffer.fi/t/ethereum-pectra-hardfork-goes-live/209/1 "2025-05-07T22:50:07Z")
The Ethereum **Pectra** hardfork, went live **May 7, 2025** (today), and is arguably the most notable hardfork since the Merge (2022). It combines the **Prague** and **Electra** updates, Pectra implements **11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs)** with the goal to enhance scalability, and improve both user and validator experiences. ### Key Features - **Smart Accounts (EIP-7702):** Regular wallets can act like smart contracts, which includes transaction batching, paying gas fees in non-ETH tokens, and implements the use of session keys for interacting with decentralized applications (dApps). - **Increased Validator Staking Limit (EIP-7251):** Max stake per validator has gone up from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH, simplifying the process for large stakers (no more managing thousands of nodes!). - **Enhanced Data Availability (EIP-7691):** Data blobs per block have doubled, which significantly improves scalability and reduces transaction costs, especially for Layer 2 rollups. - **Streamlined Validator Onboarding (EIP-6110):** Validator deposits are processed on-chain, reducing the onboarding wait times and improving network security. * * * ### Further Reading and References: I’ve attached a number of articles that provide additional information: - [Ethereum, Evolved: Pectra](https://consensys.io/ethereum-pectra-upgrade) - [Ledger: How the Pectra Upgrade Changes Ethereum Wallets](https://www.ledger.com/) - [MixBytes: Technical Deep Dive Into Pectra EIPs](https://mixbytes.io/)