• Protocol Priorities Update for 2026 Posted by Protocol track leads on February 18, 2026 Research & Development Weintroduced Protocollast June which organized our work around three strategic initiatives: Scale L1, Scale Blobs, and Improve UX. • A lot has happened since then! • In this post, we want to share what we accomplished last year, how our thinking has evolved, and where Protocol is headed in 2026. • TL;DR Great progress with tracks last year as we scaled L1, scaled blobs for L2, and built a strong foundation for UX improvements. • Announcing three new tracks:Scale (led by Ansgar, Marius, Raúl) focused on consensus, execution, and blob scaling.Improve UX (led by Barnabé and Matt) doubling down on the work from last year.Harden the L1 (led by Fredrik, Pari and Thomas) ensuring the core properties of Ethereum are preserved through it all. • Scale (led by Ansgar, Marius, Raúl) focused on consensus, execution, and blob scaling.

Article Summaries:

  • In 2026, Ethereum’s Protocol team reorganized its work into three tracks-Scale, Improve UX, and Harden the L1-to better align with the network’s evolving needs. The Scale track, led by Ansgar Dietrichs, Marius van der Wijden, and Raúl Kripalani, merges L1 execution and blob scaling efforts, delivering components of Glamsterdam, advancing zkEVM readiness, and exploring state‑scaling solutions. Improve UX, headed by Barnabé Monnot and Matt Garnett, focuses on native account abstraction and interoperability, building on EIP‑7702 and EIP‑8141. Harden the L1, led by Fredrik, Pari, and Thomas, safeguards core Ethereum properties. The update highlights 2025’s successes, notably Fusaka’s PeerDAS rollout and increased blob capacity, and sets a unified roadmap for 2026.

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