Ethereum2026-09-20 09:19:24EF Protocol AMA points to Ethereum’s next phase, with post-quantum migration at the centerEthereum Foundation researchers used a Sept. 16 Reddit AMA to sketch the priorities likely to shape Ethereum over the next several years. The discussion ranged across scaling, privacy, post-quantum security, formal verification, ETH issuance, and client funding, but one thread ran through nearly every topic: post-quantum migration is no longer a side research track. It is starting to influence account design, consensus choices, and data availability assumptions at the base layer. The AMA also showed how closely that work is now tied to zero-knowledge systems. Researchers described Frames as a path toward programmable transaction validation and more flexible account upgrades, while L1-zkEVM efforts and RISC-V zkVM tooling are beginning to overlap with post-quantum work. At the same time, privacy remains split between near-term application-level approaches and the much harder question of whether Ethereum should ever embed a protocol-level privacy pool. Not every issue is moving at the same pace. Formal verification tooling is expanding, consensus research is shifting away from the original single-slot finality path, and some researchers are openly calling for changes to ETH issuance. Yet the AMA stopped well short of any settled policy outcome. On staking incentives, issuance reform, L2 value capture, cross-chain liquidity, and privacy interoperability, the discussion made clear that Ethereum still has major open questions alongside its technical progress.490
Ethereum2026-08-24 14:33:55EIP-8363 model says Ethereum would cut staking rewards, not erase issuanceA quantitative review by IOSG researcher Mario Chow argues that EIP-8363 would not drive Ethereum issuance to zero at current staking levels, but would instead cut it roughly in half while reducing validator yields and shifting value away from staking intermediaries. The proposal would burn a growing share of validator rewards as the staking ratio rises, reaching a 100% burn at 50% of ETH supply staked. Based on the model in the report, with about 42.2 million ETH currently staked, issuance would fall 58.6% and staking APR would drop 56.4%. The report says that translates into 633,000 ETH less annual dilution, worth about $1.55 billion per year, or 0.53% of ETH market capitalization. The paper also argues that Ethereum’s fee-burn mechanism has lost most of its force. It says EIP-1559 destroyed 1.48 million ETH in 2022, but only 25,660 ETH over the past 12 months, offsetting just 2.4% of annual issuance. In the author’s reading, that leaves issuance policy as Ethereum’s last effective lever over supply. On market impact, the study says it found no detectable relationship between staking yield changes and ETH price performance over a 43-month window from January 2023 to July 2026. It does, however, say supply growth has a somewhat stronger, though still statistically insignificant, connection. The report’s final view is mildly bullish on ETH itself, negative on staking middlemen such as LST and LRT infrastructure, and skeptical that the proposal can pass governance because losses are concentrated while benefits are diffuse.1180
Ethereum2026-08-12 15:16:07What Ethereum Might Look Like in 2026 if The Merge Never HappenedEthereum’s September 15, 2022 Merge cut the network’s energy use by about 99.95% and replaced proof-of-work with proof-of-stake, reshaping both ETH issuance and the chain’s security model. Nearly four years later, that decision is back in debate through a counterfactual lens: what if Ethereum had stayed on PoW through 2026 instead of moving to PoS? The discussion centers on a trade-off. On one side is the idea that Ethereum’s former GPU mining base could have evolved into one of the world’s largest distributed compute pools, potentially giving the network a stronger position in the AI era. Waterdrip Capital co-founder Jademont and crypto KOL 嗯哼 both argue that millions of GPUs once tied to ETH mining might have been reorganized into a decentralized AI cloud if the protocol and ecosystem had developed mechanisms for task scheduling, verification and revenue sharing. On the other side are the costs. Ebunker co-founder 0xTodd said Ethereum was producing roughly 13,000 ETH per day near the end of PoW, versus about 3,000 ETH after the switch, implying daily sell pressure of around $26 million versus $6 million at a $2,000 ETH price. The article also argues that staying on PoW would likely have meant more inflation, heavier miner selling, more constraints on scaling, and harder conversations around energy use, ESG and institutional adoption.1830
Ethereum2026-08-04 14:09:56Ethereum EIP Proposes Tapered Issuance Burn as Staking Passes a Third of SupplyEthereum community members have filed EIP "Tapered Issuance Burn," a proposal to rework ETH's issuance schedule as the share of staked supply keeps climbing. The proposal notes staking crossed one-third of total ETH supply in April 2026 and is still rising. Under the current curve, yields would not fall below roughly 1.5% even if all ETH were staked, leaving staking incentives without an off switch. The EIP would burn part of validators' theoretical rewards each epoch, with the burn ratio scaling up as staking grows, pushing net staking income toward zero once the staking ratio hits about 50%. Issuance would peak at a ~20% staking ratio, around 0.5% annually, and fall to zero at 50%. Combined with EIP-1559 and blob fee burns, ETH supply could enter deflation more frequently. The authors say the plan targets long-term dilution from the current issuance curve rather than individual stakers, and that staking returns should reflect market risk premiums instead of fixed algorithmic rewards.2130
