The Ethereum Foundation has announced its key protocol priorities for 2026, focusing on scaling, security, and user experience. In a statement published on Wednesday, the foundation outlined goals including continuing to scale the gas limit "toward and beyond" 100 million, a topic that has been a major point of discussion within the community throughout 2025.
Post-quantum readiness is a central pillar of the foundation's trillion-dollar security initiative. The foundation confirmed it has formed a dedicated Post-Quantum (PQ) team, with researcher Justin Drake stating the move marked "an inflection in the Ethereum Foundation's long-term quantum strategy." This focus is highlighted by the upcoming Glamsterdam network upgrade, scheduled for the first half of 2026.
On the user experience front, the foundation aims to enhance smart wallets through native account abstraction and improve interoperability for smoother cross-chain interactions. "The goal remains seamless, trust-minimized cross-L2 interactions, and we're getting closer day by day," the statement noted, adding that faster L1 confirmations and shorter L2 settlement times are key to this progress.
The announcement follows Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's recent vision for integrating Ethereum with artificial intelligence to improve markets and financial safety. The foundation also reflected on 2025 as one of its "most productive years," citing the Pectra and Fusaka network upgrades and the community-driven increase of the gas limit from 30 million to 60 million.
