Ethereum developers are actively planning the blockchain's next major upgrade, codenamed Hegota, even as they finalize the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade. The focus is on selecting "headliners"—significant improvements that are publicly impactful and easy to explain.
A key proposal gaining consensus is Fork-Choice Inclusion Lists (FOCIL), detailed in EIP-7805. FOCIL aims to eliminate transaction censorship by block builders by forcing the inclusion of every valid transaction in an upcoming block, bolstering Ethereum's censorship resistance.
Other major headliner candidates were presented in a recent developer call. Developer Jannik Luhn proposed a Universal Enshrined Encrypted Mempool (EEM, EIP-8105), which would encrypt transactions to prevent front-running and sandwich attacks, enhancing neutrality and decentralization.
Ethereum Foundation developer Felix Lange proposed Frame Transactions (EIP-8141), a new transaction type designed to prepare Ethereum for a post-quantum world and offer a robust form of account abstraction. It moves authentication from a fixed signature scheme (the currently quantum-vulnerable ECDSA) to programmable validation frames.
Vitalik Buterin publicly endorsed the Frame Transactions proposal, a rare move that could sway discussions. He argued it satisfies key account abstraction goals and is indispensable for quantum readiness, noting it can inherit ERC-4337-style mempool rules via paymasters.
The integration of such features could reshape market dynamics, affecting mempool policy, order flow segmentation, and MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) supply chains, potentially leading to shifts in builder behavior and wallet infrastructure.
