An upgrade across two layers
Pectra combines the Prague execution-layer changes with the Electra consensus-layer changes. Ethereum's upgrade record documents its May 2025 activation and the included proposals. It is a bundle of protocol changes rather than a new coin or a replacement chain. Reading the upgrade as a single slogan about wallets can obscure that different proposals affect account behavior, validator operations, and other parts of the system.
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A concrete wallet-related change
EIP-7702 enables an externally owned account to set a delegation indicator pointing to code. That capability can support transaction batching, sponsorship, and more expressive wallet behavior when combined with suitable wallet implementations. The delegation persists until changed or cleared under the rules; it is not simply temporary contract code that disappears at the end of every transaction. A user interface must still explain the authority being granted and the code that will act for the account.
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Activation and adoption are different
A network upgrade making a feature available does not mean every wallet, exchange, or application immediately supports it. Nor does a new protocol capability automatically make a particular implementation safe. When explaining Pectra, connect each user-facing claim to its actual proposal and distinguish activated rules from optional product behavior. Historical comparisons should use dated sources and avoid leaving pre-activation language such as planned indefinitely on an encyclopedia page after the upgrade has occurred.
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The source notesEvidence & further reading2 sources
- Prague-Electra: Pectra Ethereum.org · Primary source · accessed 2026-09-21
- EIP-7702: Set code for externally owned accounts Ethereum Improvement Proposals · Primary source · accessed 2026-09-21