Compiled | GaryMa Wu Blockchain
Wu Blockchain team summarizes important dynamics in the blockchain technology field for March:
Bitcoin
· BIP360 Quantum-Resistant Hash (P2QRH) Update: Developer Hunter Beast published an update on his quantum resistance research for BIP360 on the Bitcoin-Dev mailing list. He modified the list of quantum-safe algorithms he proposed, is seeking support for developing a pay-to-taproot-hash (P2TRH) scheme, and is considering targeting the same security level currently provided by Bitcoin (NIST II) rather than a higher level (NIST V) that would require more block space and CPU verification time.
· The Bitcoin grassroots community is beginning to push changes to Bitcoin's underlying software, with grassroots support emerging for two Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs), BIP-119 (CTV) and BIP-348 (CSFS). These proposals suggest new Bitcoin scripting methods that would enable Bitcoin to implement "Covenants" functionality. These proposals might be implemented in Bitcoin's next soft fork. In the past few weeks, many Western Bitcoin developers have expressed support for CTV and CSFS on Twitter - undoubtedly a strong signal that at least within social media circles, part of the Bitcoin community is moving towards accepting these changes.
Ethereum
· The Holesky testnet restored finality on March 11 at 15:04 with over two-thirds of validators participating, following an interruption during the Pectra upgrade on February 24.
· Ethereum core developers plan to terminate support for the Holesky testnet in September 2025. All Pectra features except validator exits can be tested on Holesky.
· On March 5, the Sepolia testnet underwent the Pectra upgrade, initially achieving network finality but later encountering issues with custom deposit contracts, leading to empty blocks, which were quickly repaired.
· On March 17, the Hooli testnet was launched to address configuration issues with the Pectra upgrade on Sepolia and Holesky testnets.
· On March 26, the Hoodi testnet successfully activated Pectra, with subsequent network operations running smoothly, maintaining a stable network participation rate of 97% and achieving finality. Developers noted that Hooli is primarily used for testing validator exits, while Sepolia and Holesky remain for other testing.
· The Pectra mainnet upgrade is tentatively scheduled for April 30 / Slot 115999872.
· Due to EIP-6110 issues, agreement to retain mainnet Merge historical data after Pectra; Sepolia testnet is scheduled for execution on May 1. Note: EIP-6110 incorporates validator deposit information into the execution layer block, simplifying consensus layer work and optimizing validator experience.
Solana
· Solana core developers Max Resnick and Ashwin Sekar jointly published SIMD-0257 draft, proposing removing vote fees on the Solana network and optimizing timely voting score incentive compatibility to enhance network security and validator participation.
· Solana's inflation rate adjustment proposal SIMD-0228 did not pass the final validator on-chain vote.
Base
· Block Gas Target increased to 30 Mgas/s. It is understood that Base confirmed a scaling target of 1 Ggas/s (1000 Mgas/s) last September and planned to gradually expand by 1 Mgas/s per week. By raising the block's Gas Target, the network can accommodate more transactions in the same time, relatively suppressing transaction fees when demand increases. Gas Target differs from each block's maximum Gas Limit; blocks can temporarily exceed the Target (causing fee increases) but cannot exceed the Limit, which serves as a hard upper limit on block size.
BNB Chain
· On March 21, BNB Chain successfully completed the Pascal hard fork, introducing EIP-7702 smart contract wallet to enhance EVM compatibility and developer support, including features like fuel fee abstraction, smart payment interfaces, and batch transaction optimizations. The official roadmap for future improvements includes the Lorentz upgrade in April 2025, aiming to reduce block time to 1.5 seconds, improving transaction speed and network efficiency. Following this, the Maxwell upgrade in June 2025 plans to further accelerate block time to 0.75 seconds.
Sui
· On March 9, Sui announced testing network integration of WebAuthn-based Passkeys, allowing Sui users on Passkeys-supported applications and wallets to create Sui accounts, sign transactions, and cross-device account access using Face ID, Touch ID, or YubiKey without handling private keys or passwords.
Near
· On March 23, the NEAR mainnet upgraded from 6 to 8 shards, increasing overall network capacity by approximately 33%, with single-block re-sharding eliminating state reconstruction lasting up to an hour, supporting faster scaling to higher shard numbers.
Avalanche
· On March 4, Avalanche announced its 2025 roadmap, including major updates like the Etna network upgrade, Avalanche9000 Campaign for global adoption, and renaming subnets to Avalanche L1 to enhance flexibility.
Sonic
· On March 28, Sonic Labs announced the upcoming SonicCS 2.0 protocol, a new consensus protocol that can double consensus speed and reduce memory by 68%.
Hyperliquid
· On March 4, the Hyper Foundation stated that after the next network upgrade, the mainnet validator set will be completely permissionless. Similar to the testnet, the top N validators by stake ranking will compose the active set. Initially, N will be set to 20 and will increase over time. Additionally, the delegation program has been launched, aimed at enhancing network security, decentralization, and supporting validators committed to Hyperliquid ecosystem development.
Berachain
· On March 12, the canonical testnet Bepolia was officially launched, fully consistent with the mainnet and possessing all contracts and functions required for PoL.
· On March 24, Proof of Liquidity (PoL) was officially launched, with governance entering its first phase and incentive mechanisms beginning to take effect, with a new rewards pool to be distributed. This change means BGT holders will have more control and profit opportunities, determining the direction of incentives and supporting user, application, and validator incentive allocation.
