Ethereum Developers Weigh 66 Proposals for ‘Hegota’ Upgrade as Privacy Takes Center Stage
Summary
- Ethereum developers are defining the scope of the Hegota upgrade, targeted for deployment in 2027, with 66 proposals under review.
- The main focus is stronger privacy, with EIP-8141 at the center and EIP-8250 and EIP-8272 aimed at enabling private transactions and reducing reliance on external infrastructure.
- So far, only FOCIL has been formally approved for Hegota, while faster block production, changes to validator reward structures, and encryption methods designed to withstand quantum computing are also under review.
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Ethereum developers are narrowing the scope of the blockchain’s next major upgrade, known as Hegota, with privacy emerging as the main focus among 66 proposals under review.
CoinDesk reported on August 17 that developers are defining the scope of Hegota, which is targeted for deployment in 2027 after the planned Glamsterdam upgrade later this year. The 66 proposals will be narrowed through a series of core developer meetings to those that can be implemented and deployed on a testnet.
Ethereum Foundation researcher Toni Wahrstätter wrote on X that Hegota’s scope is now being decided. He added that 66 proposals are under discussion and will be narrowed in upcoming core developer meetings to items that could realistically ship in 2027.
The centerpiece of the discussion is Frame Transactions, or Ethereum Improvement Proposal 8141. Ethereum currently makes the transaction history and balance of every address public, creating drawbacks for users who do not want financial information exposed, such as in payroll payments or corporate treasury operations. EIP-8141 would allow each account to set how transactions are approved, executed and paid for, enabling privacy-preserving transactions without third-party relay services. That would make it possible for another party to pay transaction fees, bundle several actions into a single payment, or change encryption methods without changing an account address.
Two companion proposals are also under discussion alongside EIP-8141. EIP-8250, known as keyed nonces, would introduce a separate counter to address delays that can occur when multiple users conduct private transactions through the same account and those transactions are not processed in sequence. EIP-8272 would let transactions be validated based on recent cryptographic records rather than information that could change while a transaction is pending. If all three proposals are adopted, privacy applications could reduce some of the external infrastructure they currently rely on. Ethereum itself would not become a private network, however, and standard transfers between ordinary addresses would remain public.
Only one proposal has been formally approved for Hegota so far. Known as FOCIL, it is designed to address censorship by preventing a single block builder from arbitrarily excluding specific transactions. The proposal would have multiple network operators jointly create a list of transactions that must be included. Other proposals under review include faster block production, changes to validator reward structures and encryption methods designed to withstand quantum computing. The deadline for new submissions passed on August 6, and final inclusion decisions will be made at upcoming core developer meetings.
