The Ethereum Foundation confirmed this week that all testnets are running with every planned EIP for the Glamsterdam upgrade, the combined execution- and consensus-layer hard fork. ETH price remains pinned under $1,800, consolidating between $1,760 and $1,800 after a brief whale-driven spike faded. The upgrade targets mainnet in the second half of 2026 if testing clears.
Glamsterdam's final pre-testnet phase
Glamsterdam merges the Amsterdam execution layer and Gloas consensus layer — the last development stage before public testnets go live. Developers have loaded all planned EIPs onto testnets. The upgrade aims for Q3 2026 launch, with mainnet activation targeted for H2 2026 assuming no major issues emerge. Core features include ePBS and BALs, designed to speed up block processing and enable future parallel execution on L1.
Whale accumulation fades
Between Sunday and Monday, large holders accumulated 400,000 ETH, pushing the price up 6% — but that gain has since evaporated. ETH now trades in a tight range just below the $1,800 resistance level. A confirmed close above $2,000 would open a measured move to $2,200, with a macro target around $3,000–$3,050, according to technical analysts. A dovish surprise from the FOMC — say, a rate cut — could trigger a relief rally toward $2,600–$2,700.
Gas repricing could slash transfer costs
One of the more tangible changes in Glamsterdam: proposed gas repricing that could make simple ETH transfers up to 71% cheaper. That could lower fees for everyday users and make the network more competitive with lower-cost chains. The change is part of a broader efficiency push inside the upgrade.
LiquidChain presale gathers steam
Meanwhile, LiquidChain ($LIQUID), an L3 infrastructure project building a unified liquidity layer across BTC, ETH, and SOL execution environments, is running a presale priced at $0.0147 per token. The project has raised $850,000 so far. Institutional demand for ETH-linked products remains in focus: Standard Chartered's bullish thesis on ether partly rests on ETF inflow momentum, with BlackRock's staked ETHB product drawing attention from big allocators.
The next concrete milestone is the FOMC decision — due this week — which could either fuel a relief bounce or keep ETH pinned below resistance. For now, the market is waiting.
