Ethereum Foundation confirmed plans for a large-scale upgrade focused on scalability and cross-chain integration, scheduled for rollout in early 2026. The initiative—internally dubbed ‘Verde’—will introduce advanced sharding features and improve transaction throughput by up to 40%. Developers aim to reduce gas fees and enhance decentralized app performance. Crypto researchers called the upgrade the most ambitious since the Merge, signaling Ethereum’s continued dominance in smart contract ecosystems. Analysts said the roadmap could influence institutional adoption patterns in Web3 finance and digital asset infrastructure.