Ethereum 2026 Upgrade Glamsterdam Arrives: How ePBS and Access Lists Improve the MEV Problem

[BitPush] The core development team of Ethereum is pushing forward with a major upgrade called Glamsterdam, expected to be implemented in 2026. The main goal of this upgrade is to address the unfairness of MEV (Maximum Extractable Value).

Glamsterdam includes several significant proposals. Among them, EIP-7732 is particularly noteworthy, as it aims to formally implement the separation of Proposer and Builder at the protocol level (industry term: ePBS). Currently, many rely on external relays and MEV infrastructure to compete. This proposal effectively embeds the separation logic into Ethereum itself, significantly reducing dependence on centralized tools and making block production more censorship-resistant and fair.

Another key supporting proposal is EIP-7928, which introduces block-level access lists. In simple terms, it allows blocks to declare in advance which accounts and contract data will be used, enabling nodes to preload and reuse this information. This makes block execution faster and more stable, laying a foundation for Ethereum’s future scalability.

The complete list of EIPs for Glamsterdam is still being finalized, but these two proposals have already taken shape.