Ethereum is preparing for change with the Hegota Update in 2026.

In recent times, with the volatility in the cryptocurrency market, Ethereum (ETH) investors have turned their attention to the year 2026. Ethereum developers are solidifying investor confidence by unveiling a series of significant plans for 2026. During the All Core Developers Execution meeting held on Thursday, the name of the next major update for the Ethereum network was determined to be Hegota.

This update will be implemented in accordance with the regular hard fork schedule set for 2026. Hegota will take place immediately after the Glamsterdam update, and the name of the update is derived from a combination of the execution layer's Bogota upgrade and the consensus layer's Heze names. Developers noted that the details of the main Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) related to Hegota will be clarified in February.

With the Pectra and Fusaka updates to be carried out in 2025, Ethereum will transition to a biannual update cycle. This strategy aims to facilitate more predictable and regular improvements instead of large and rare updates. According to the current schedule, the Glamsterdam update is expected to launch in the first half of 2026, while the Hegota update is anticipated to be implemented in the second half of the year.

Although the update of Hegota is still in its early stages, it provides clues regarding important elements in the developers' roadmap. Notably, Verkle Trees stand out as a significant step towards a fully stateless client architecture. Additionally, improvements related to state expiry and the execution layer are also on the agenda. Furthermore, the Glamsterdam update aims to enhance Layer 1 efficiency and reduce the risks of centralization in block production.

Developers are also working on proposals like access lists at the block level and the rebalancing of gas fees. However, more complex changes that do not fit the timeline are expected to be deferred to the Hegota update. Thus, the announcement of Hegota is viewed as an important milestone in Ethereum's ongoing development process beyond 2026, alongside its significant past updates such as The Merge, The Surge, The Verge, The Purge, and The Splurge.