The Protocol: Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Finally Goes Live

Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk's weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I’m Margaux Nijkerk, the Ethereum protocol reporter on CoinDesk’s Tech team.In this issue:Ethereum Activates ‘Pectra’ Upgrade, Raising Max Stake to 2,048 ETHBitcoin Developers Plan OP_RETURN Limit Removal in Next ReleaseSam Altman’s World Crypto Project Launches in US With Eye-Scanning Orbs in 6 CitiesAztec’s Privacy Rollup Hits Testnet Amid Growing DemandUnknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` optionNetwork NewsPECTRA FINALLY GOES LIVE ON ETHEREUM: Ethereum activated its long-awaited “Pectra” upgrade on Wednesday, marking the blockchain’s most significant overhaul since the Merge in 2022 source: https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2025/05/07/the-protocol-ethereum-s-pectra-upgrade-finally-goes-live