Los mejoramientos de Ethereum 2026: infraestructura estratégica y el camino hacia la dominación institucional

Ethereum's 2026 roadmap is not just a technical upgrade-it's a strategic repositioning of the network as the backbone of a new financial infrastructure. With two major protocol upgrades-Glamsterdam and Hegota-planned for 2026, Ethereum is poised to address scalability, security, and decentralization challenges while unlocking institutional adoption at scale. These upgrades, combined with regulatory progress and evolving economic incentives, position Ethereum to cement its dominance in the blockchain ecosystem.

Glamsterdam: Scaling Through Parallelism and Gas Efficiency

The Glamsterdam upgrade, scheduled for the first half of 2026, introduces Block-level Access Lists (BALs) (EIP-7928), enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) (EIP-7732), and gas schedule repricing (EIP-7904). These changes aim to optimize transaction throughput by enabling parallel processing of transactions and reducing gas costs for complex operations like smart contract interactions. Notably, the gas limit is expected to increase to 200 million, a 50% jump from current levels, directly enhancing the network's capacity to handle high-volume use cases.

The enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) is particularly significant. By formalizing the separation of block proposers and builders, ePBS reduces centralization risks in the block production process while accelerating transaction finality. This aligns with Ethereum's broader goal of shifting to a faster, more modular upgrade cadence.

Hegota: Privacy, Decentralization, and Verkle Trees

The Hegota upgrade, tentatively set for late 2026, will build on deferred work from Glamsterdam and introduce Verkle Trees, a data structure that reduces the computational and storage burden on node operators. Verkle Trees replace Ethereum's current Merkle Patricia Trie with a more efficient proof system, lowering hardware requirements and enabling broader node participation. This is a critical step toward decentralization, as it reduces the barrier to entry for running a full node.

Hegota also aims to enhance privacy and censorship resistance through proposals like Fork-Choice Inclusion Lists (FOCIL), which ensure that proposers cannot selectively exclude transactions. These features are essential for institutional adoption, where compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations and resistance to network manipulation are non-negotiable.

Institutional Adoption: From Speculative Asset to Infrastructure Layer

Ethereum's 2026 upgrades are not just technical-they're strategic. The network is increasingly viewed as a foundational infrastructure layer for traditional finance (TradFi), particularly in tokenized asset settlement and stablecoin ecosystems. According to a report by MEXC, Ethereum's role as the primary settlement layer for stablecoins-supporting over $170 billion in dollar-pegged tokens-has made it a critical component of Wall Street's infrastructure.

Institutional adoption is further accelerated by Ethereum's security and developer ecosystem. Major protocols like Aave and EtherFi are already integrating compliance-ready tools, such as real-time transaction monitoring and KYC solutions, to meet regulatory standards. This aligns with the CLARITY Act, which classified Ethereum as a "digital commodity" in 2025, legitimizing its use in regulated environments.

Strategic Infrastructure: Scalability Meets Value Accrual

The Fusaka upgrade, part of Ethereum's 2026 roadmap, introduces L1 scalability and blob data availability (DA) throughput improvements. These changes are designed to support institutional-grade decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystems, where high throughput and low latency are critical. Additionally, EIP-7918 introduces a reserve price for blob gas fees, directly tying Layer 2 usage to value accrual for ETH holders. This creates a flywheel effect: increased Layer 2 adoption drives demand for Ethereum's base layer, enhancing its long-term value proposition.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Despite these advancements, institutional adoption remains cautious. Regulatory constraints, such as SEC custody rules, limit direct DeFi engagement for ETFs and similar products. However, Ethereum's rollup-centric roadmap and growing compliance infrastructure are addressing these gaps. Analysts project that Ethereum's price could reach $7,000–$9,000 by early 2026, driven by real usage and infrastructure demand rather than speculative sentiment.

Conclusion

Ethereum's 2026 upgrades represent a pivotal moment in its evolution from a speculative asset to a foundational infrastructure layer. By enhancing scalability, security, and decentralization, the network is positioning itself to dominate the institutional blockchain market. As traditional finance increasingly adopts tokenized assets and blockchain-based settlement, Ethereum's strategic infrastructure upgrades will likely drive both network dominance and long-term value accrual for ETH holders.