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

In recent times, with the increased volatility in the cryptocurrency market, Ethereum (ETH) investors have their attention turned to the year 2026. Ethereum developers have laid out a series of important plans for 2026, reinforcing investors' confidence. During the All Core Developers Execution meeting held on Thursday, the name of the next major update to 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 be carried out immediately after the Glamsterdam update, and the name of the update was created by combining the names of the execution layer's Bogota upgrade and the consensus layer's Heze. Developers stated that the details of the main Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) under Hegota will be clarified in February.

With the Pectra and Fusaka updates planned for 2025, Ethereum will transition to a twice-yearly update schedule. This strategy aims to promote more predictable and regular improvements, rather than large and rare updates. According to the current timeline, the Glamsterdam update is expected to be implemented in the first half of 2026, while the Hegota update is anticipated to roll out in the second half of the year.

Although the Hegota update is still in its early phases, it provides insights into significant topics in the developers' roadmap. In particular, Verkle Trees stand out as an important step towards a fully stateless client structure. Additionally, state expiry related to the cleaning of historical data and improvements in the execution layer are also on the agenda. Furthermore, the Glamsterdam update aims to enhance Layer 1 efficiency and reduce the centralization risks in block production.

Developers are also working on proposals such as block-level access lists and the rebalancing of gas fees. However, it is expected that more complex changes that do not adhere to the timeline will be deferred to the Hegota update. Thus, the announcement of Hegota is considered a significant milestone in the development process of Ethereum after 2026, in conjunction with its past major updates including The Merge, The Surge, The Verge, The Purge, and The Splurge.