Ethereum’s core development team is evaluating a large backlog of proposed changes as it prepares the next major network upgrade, Hegotá. Developers say they are currently reviewing 66 proposals, with several focused on adding new on-chain capabilities for privacy-oriented applications.
Among the items being considered are a set of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) that, if adopted, would add “native privacy” primitives—potentially reducing the need for privacy apps to depend on third-party workarounds. Ethereum Foundation contributor Toni Wahrstätter outlined the case in a Sunday post on X, arguing that proposals could help enable privacy functionality directly at the protocol level.
Key takeaways
- Ethereum developers are reviewing 66 proposals for Hegotá, with multiple EIPs tied to privacy enhancements.
- FOCIL (EIP-Failed by inclusion list concept) is currently the only EIP explicitly scheduled for Hegotá, according to the discussion referenced in the source.
- Additional proposals under consideration—Frame Transactions (EIP-8141), Keyed Nonces (EIP-8250), and Recent Roots for Frame Transactions (EIP-8272)—are framed as components for “native privacy.”
- Developers aim to roll out Hegotá next year, while the next core developer call is set for Monday at 2:00 pm UTC.
- Separately, the roadmap points to Glamsterdam as a major near-term upgrade, with a mainnet launch expected in the second half of 2026.
Hegotá: a long proposal slate and a privacy push
Hegotá is shaping up to be a consolidation moment for Ethereum development priorities. The source states that developers are actively reviewing 66 proposals to decide which changes should be scoped into the upgrade.
In the discussion cited, Wahrstätter argues that more than a single privacy-related mechanism may be needed to achieve the desired outcome: protocol-level privacy that applications can use without having to route around the base layer through intermediaries. This positions privacy not as an optional add-on, but as a likely theme of what gets built into Hegotá.
Why FOCIL and the “frame” privacy primitives matter
At present, the source indicates that FOCIL is the only EIP scheduled for inclusion in Hegotá. FOCIL—standing for Fork-choice enforced inclusion lists—is intended to let a committee of validators force pending transactions into blocks. The stated goal is to strengthen censorship resistance by limiting the ability for blocks to exclude particular transactions.
The privacy-oriented proposals appear to complement that effort by introducing protocol building blocks tailored for privacy applications:
- Frame Transactions (EIP-8141)
- Keyed Nonces (EIP-8250)
- Recent Roots for Frame Transactions (EIP-8272)
According to the X post cited in the source, these EIPs should be considered so that privacy apps can operate using native protocol features instead of relying on intermediaries. The practical implication for builders and users is that privacy might become easier to integrate—potentially reducing complexity, reducing reliance on external systems, and aligning privacy behavior more closely with Ethereum’s core execution and verification model.
Upgrade timing and what happens if proposals miss Hegotá
Ethereum’s core developers are targeting a Hegotá release next year, but the exact scope will be determined through ongoing engineering review. The source also notes that the next Ethereum core developer calls are expected to influence a major portion of the development trajectory for 2027.
Importantly, the source adds that proposals not selected for Hegotá could be reconsidered for later upgrades. That means the current review process is not just about choosing immediate inclusions—it also affects how privacy-related design work and other protocol changes may be phased across multiple release cycles.
The next Ethereum developer call is scheduled for Monday at 2:00 pm UTC, a meeting that will likely clarify which proposals advance and how developers think about scoping.
What else is coming: Glamsterdam’s scalability and usability goals
While attention is on Hegotá, Ethereum developers are also moving toward a major earlier milestone: Glamsterdam. The source characterizes Glamsterdam as one of the “most consequential upgrades” this year, emphasizing three themes: improved scalability, layer-1 hardening, and making the network easier to use.
According to Ethereum’s public roadmap as referenced in the source, a mainnet launch is expected in the second half of 2026. That timeframe matters for market participants and developers because it suggests a near-term sequence: first implement the Glamsterdam improvements on mainnet, then continue scoping Hegotá’s longer-term protocol changes.
The source also references earlier reporting from Cointelegraph on Glamsterdam milestones and newly named protocol leads, reinforcing that this upgrade is already in an advanced planning and execution phase.
Closing perspective
With 66 proposals under review and a core developer call set for Monday at 2:00 pm UTC, the next steps for Hegotá will help determine how quickly Ethereum can move from privacy concepts to usable protocol primitives. Readers should watch which privacy-related EIPs advance beyond review and how developers weigh them against other constraints in the scoping process.
