BNB Chain Adds Millisecond Timestamp Access in Jenner Testnet Upgrade

BNB Chain’s Jenner hard fork will give smart contracts millisecond-level access to block timestamps on BNB Smart Chain’s Chapel testnet, adding precision for contracts while preserving the network’s existing seconds-based timestamp field.

The activation is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 28 (02:30 UTC Oct. 29). The timestamp feature adds a precompile at address 0x70, which contracts can use to read block time in milliseconds. The existing block.timestamp value will remain in seconds, and the change will not speed up block production.

BNB Smart Chain block headers already carry millisecond precision, but smart contracts have not been able to access that precision through block.timestamp. The new precompile provides a separate access point while leaving the existing field intact.

The hard fork also includes Payment Lane’s previously announced gas reserve. It sets aside 5% of each block’s gas capacity by default for eligible payment transactions. Governance can raise the reserve to a maximum of 10%. Eligible transactions include nonzero transfers of BNB, the network’s native token, to accounts without code, and transactions sent to payment contracts approved through governance. The contract list starts empty, so stablecoin and CAS20 transactions need separate approval to qualify.

The reserve applies to payment transactions as a group and does not guarantee inclusion for any one transaction. Payment and other transactions can remain interleaved, but general transactions cannot use unused reserved gas.

Jenner also includes the underlying functionality for CAS20, a protocol-level capability for compliant assets such as stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. Token creation and policy-registry updates require separate activation by a governance-appointed administrator.

The v1.8.1 update is mandatory for Chapel testnet node operators, MEV builders and sentry operators, who must run a compatible client before activation. No mainnet activation is scheduled in the release, and BNB Chain will announce its timing separately.