Ethereum Nears ‘Glamsterdam’ Upgrade Milestone With 200 Million Gas Limit Push

The Ethereum Foundation said it has effectively completed three core objectives for the upcoming 'Glamsterdam' upgrade, marking a key step toward safely raising Ethereum’s throughput by pushing for a 200 million 'gas limit floor'. The update matters because increasing the baseline gas limit—if done without destabilizing the network—could expand transaction capacity while keeping node operation and state growth in check.

According to PANews, more than 100 Ethereum core developers convened last week in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway to advance Glamsterdam’s technical roadmap. The Foundation said the three near-complete priorities are: reaching alignment on a 200 million gas floor, implementing a stable external builder workflow for 'ePBS' (enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation), and finalizing gas repricing parameters for EIP-8037.

The Foundation framed Glamsterdam as an upgrade focused less on flashy features and more on hardening Ethereum’s ability to scale. In its description, ePBS is intended to refine the proposer–builder architecture to improve the block execution time window, while Block-level Access List (BAL) optimization aims to enhance 'parallel execution' and I/O efficiency—two areas closely linked to real-world performance as block size and complexity rise. Meanwhile, EIP-8037 is designed to increase the cost of state creation, a control mechanism meant to curb runaway state expansion that can accompany aggressive gas limit increases.

From an implementation perspective, the Foundation said it has confirmed that most clients are now operating stably on glamsterdam-devnet-2, and that testing across the external builder process has been completed successfully. That, it argued, provides a workable foundation for ensuring a 200 million gas floor can run reliably—though the final bandwidth of Ethereum’s scaling via gas limit changes will still depend on continued testing, client hardening, and broader ecosystem readiness.

The update also noted progress on additional roadmap items, including FOCIL and 'native account abstraction'—a long-discussed shift intended to make smart contract wallets more seamless and flexible. The Foundation added that work tied to a future 'Hegota' upgrade is also moving forward. Over the next few weeks, the focus will remain on improving client security, upgrading test suites, and merging code changes, with final details expected to be shared in an upcoming AllCoreDevs meeting.

In broader market headlines, Fox News reported that efforts to clarify U.S. crypto 'market structure' could help drive 'institutional demand' into Bitcoin (BTC), citing expectations that regulatory clarity could arrive as soon as this month. The report, shared by journalist Pete Rizzo, did not name specific legislation or provide estimates for the timing or scale of potential inflows, but reflects a persistent market view that clear rules around custody, trading venues, and token classifications are a prerequisite for larger institutional allocations.

Separately, Arthur Hayes reiterated a bullish stance on Bitcoin, suggesting BTC could reach $125,000 by the end of this year. Citing a mix of U.S. banking leverage regulation changes and large-scale spending linked to defense and artificial intelligence, Hayes argued these forces could catalyze roughly $4 trillion in credit expansion, with liquidity effects that outweigh AI-driven credit contraction. He also said liquidity indicators have already moved through a bottom alongside Bitcoin, using that as the basis for his year-end target.

Activity in crypto-adjacent markets also showed signs of acceleration. Prediction market platform Polymarket recorded $43.36 million in fees in April, more than doubling month-over-month, according to DeFiLlama data cited by Wu Blockchain. Annualized, the pace implies roughly $520 million in fees, underscoring how event-driven trading—often tied to elections and macro narratives—can translate into rapid revenue growth for on-chain marketplaces.

On-chain flows meanwhile pointed to potential near-term supply dynamics. Whale Alert reported that 1,053 BTC—worth about $82.63 million at the time of reporting—moved from an unidentified wallet to Kraken, a transfer pattern often watched for signs of potential selling or repositioning. Still, market observers typically caution that a single exchange deposit does not confirm an imminent sale, as large holders may move funds for collateral, internal treasury management, or planned over-the-counter execution.

Together, the headlines capture a market balancing long-horizon infrastructure upgrades—like Ethereum’s push to raise its baseline capacity—with shorter-term catalysts ranging from U.S. regulatory expectations to liquidity narratives and exchange inflow monitoring. While none of the individual developments dictate market direction on their own, they collectively reinforce how scaling progress, policy signals, and capital flows continue to shape crypto’s trading environment.