In April 2026, the combined throughput of Ethereum Layer 2 networks surpassed 3,700 ops/second (operations per second) for the first time, marking a year-over-year increase of more than 210% compared to the same period in 2025. This milestone was directly driven by the synergistic optimizations in data availability (DA) and the execution layer brought by the Pectra (May 2025) and Fusaka (December 2025) core upgrades. Meanwhile, the Fusaka upgrade extended the burn mechanism to Blob transactions, pushing ETH’s annualized burn rate from 0.89% to 1.32%. On the cost side, mainstream L2 networks have reduced single transfer fees to $0.002–$0.008, while swap operations now cost about $0.01–$0.03—a decrease of 40%–90%.
What Technologies Drove L2 Throughput Past 3,700 ops/second?
The Pectra upgrade included 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), making it the largest hard fork since The Merge. EIP-7691, in particular, increased the target number of Blobs per block from 3 to 6, and the hard cap from 6 to 9, directly expanding the available channels for L2s to submit data to L1. Pectra also raised the target gas limit from 15M to 22.5M through other parameter adjustments, nearly doubling the batch submission capacity for leading L2s like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base. More importantly, L2 sequencer compression algorithms were unified and optimized, boosting the average compression rate for transaction call data before L1 submission from 32% to 47%.
The Fusaka upgrade took this even further. Its core component, PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling), allows each node to store only 1/8 of the Blob data and uses erasure coding, theoretically increasing Blob throughput by up to 8x, while keeping validator bandwidth and storage requirements manageable. The BPO (Blob-Parameter-Only) fork mechanism also enables Ethereum to independently adjust Blob parameters in stages—progressing from the baseline 6/9 to 12/15, and then to 14/21—without waiting for annual major upgrades. Together, these technical iterations pushed L2 aggregate throughput to a new high of 3,700 ops/second, covering a wide range of operations including cross-chain messaging and state updates.
What Mechanisms Drove L2 Fees Down by 40%–90%?
The most direct market response to the Pectra and Fusaka upgrades has been the drop in fees. According to Gate market data (as of April 16, 2026), Ethereum mainnet gas prices stabilized between 8–15 Gwei, while L2 single transfer fees fell to $0.002–$0.008, and swap operations cost about $0.01–$0.03.
This fee reduction stems from two core mechanisms. First, expanding Blob data space directly reduced the competition cost for L2s submitting batches to L1. After Pectra doubled Blob capacity, L1 data availability gas fees dropped to around 1 Gwei or less, with ZK-rollup networks seeing fee reductions of 78%–91%. Second, EIP-7702 introduced batch transaction aggregation for smart accounts, allowing users to pay L2 fees just once for multi-step operations (such as approval + swap + staking). This improvement lowered the barrier for using externally owned accounts, enabled wallets to execute smart contract functions, and supported stablecoin payments for gas fees. For high-frequency DeFi users and on-chain gamers, daily interaction costs dropped from $2–$5 to $0.2–$0.5, directly fueling growth in active addresses.
What Does a Burn Rate of 1.32% Mean for the ETH Economic Model?
The economic model changes in the Fusaka upgrade are mainly reflected in EIP-7918. This proposal links the base fee for Blobs to execution layer gas fees, ensuring that Blob transactions must pay a minimum fee even in low-demand scenarios, thus preventing near-free Blob usage. More importantly, prior to Fusaka, Blob transactions only paid a base fee and did not participate in burning; after Fusaka, 30% of the base fee from Blob transactions is included in the EIP-1559 burn mechanism. This adjustment raised ETH’s annualized burn rate from 0.89% to 1.32% (as of April 15, 2026). At the current ETH price (based on Gate market data, as of April 16, 2026), the daily value of ETH burned is about $3.8 million.
The increased burn rate has two structural impacts on Ethereum’s economic model. First, the likelihood of net issuance turning negative rises. If daily burn consistently exceeds validator reward issuance, ETH supply enters a deflationary path, reinforcing long-term holders’ deflation expectations. Second, the cost structure for L2 operations shifts—sequencers must rebalance between throughput and burn costs, with some L2s adjusting batch submission frequency to optimize expenses. It’s important to note that a higher burn rate does not mean higher user costs, as the absolute Blob fee remains far below pre-upgrade Calldata fees.
How Does a 26% DeFi TVL Growth on L2 Reflect Capital Flows?
As of April 15, 2026, total DeFi total value locked (TVL) on Ethereum L2s reached $38.7 billion, a 26% increase over the same period in 2025. This growth outpaced the 14% increase on Ethereum mainnet DeFi, indicating that capital is migrating from the mainnet to L2s. In terms of ecosystem distribution, peak TPS on major L2s has stabilized above 1,200, with leading networks like Base and Arbitrum continuing to grow their share of transaction volume.
These capital flows reflect the evolving competitive landscape among L2s. The sharp drop in fees has lowered user entry barriers, while improved cross-chain interoperability enables liquidity to move more efficiently between L2s. Notably, lower fees are activating high-frequency use cases that were previously unviable due to cost, including on-chain order book DEXs, decentralized games, and micropayment systems. Some analysts suggest the Fusaka upgrade could further reduce L2 data costs by another 40%–60%, which would be especially beneficial for high-volume sectors like DeFi and blockchain gaming.
What Are Developers and Application Teams Saying About the Upgrades?
From the developer perspective, the Pectra and Fusaka upgrades are reshaping the L2 application development paradigm. EIP-7702’s account abstraction capabilities allow wallets to support gas fee sponsorship, stablecoin payments, and batch transaction aggregation, reducing the learning curve for mainstream users of crypto applications. Some L2 project teams report that doubled Blob capacity gives DEX and gaming users significantly more low-fee bandwidth, while zero-knowledge proof languages like Cairo can potentially shorten proof generation cycles as costs drop.
However, the upgrades also introduce new technical challenges. Research from MigaLabs shows that after Fusaka, blocks with 16 or more Blobs have a much higher missing rate, and at the observed maximum of 21 Blobs, block missing rates exceed the network average by threefold. This indicates that Ethereum still faces bottlenecks when handling extreme data loads, and further increases to Blob parameters must be approached cautiously. Meanwhile, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly questioned at the start of 2026 whether some L2s are truly scaling Ethereum, criticizing the trend toward reliance on centralized components as a potential threat to mainnet security and decentralization. These debates show that the L2 scaling roadmap remains a work in progress.
What Challenges and Opportunities Lie Ahead for Ethereum’s Scaling Roadmap?
Following Pectra and Fusaka, Ethereum’s scaling roadmap has entered a new phase. According to official plans, the first half of 2026 will see the Glamsterdam upgrade, focusing on improving execution layer efficiency and block-building fairness; the Hegotá upgrade is slated for the second half of the year to further optimize the underlying infrastructure. Technically, Ethereum’s strategic focus is shifting from a "rollup-centric" approach to a dual-track model of "L1 settlement layer + L2 execution layer." L1 is dedicated to providing the highest levels of security and decentralization, while L2s handle execution and throughput scaling.
However, challenges remain. First, Blob scaling faces network stability limits—raising parameters too quickly can increase block missing rates and undermine overall network reliability. Second, the degree of decentralization across L2 ecosystems varies, with some sequencers still controlled by single entities, creating tension with Ethereum’s core values. Third, as L1 mainnet throughput continues to improve, the "necessity" narrative for L2s may be re-examined. These issues will be key topics for the developer community during the Glamsterdam and Hegotá upgrades.
Conclusion
The Pectra and Fusaka upgrades mark Ethereum’s scaling roadmap moving from "proof of concept" to "large-scale deployment." Breakthroughs like L2 aggregate throughput exceeding 3,700 ops/second, fee reductions of 40%–90%, and a burn rate rising to 1.32% all point to one core conclusion: Ethereum is achieving the high throughput and low fees needed for mass adoption through a dual-track "L1 settlement + L2 execution" architecture, all while maintaining security and decentralization. However, network stability, the degree of L2 decentralization, and the economic relationship between L1 and L2 still require ongoing optimization. The 2026 Glamsterdam and Hegotá upgrades will be critical milestones in testing whether this roadmap can move from "viable" to "sustainable."
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How is L2 aggregate throughput of 3,700 ops/second different from regular TPS?
3,700 ops/second (operations per second) includes not just standard transaction processing, but also cross-chain messaging, state updates, data availability sampling, and other on-chain operations. This metric provides a more comprehensive picture of L2 ecosystem processing capacity than simple transaction TPS. Peak TPS on mainstream L2 networks has stabilized above 1,200, while aggregate throughput captures the sum of all L2 ecosystem operations.
Q: What is the real impact of the Pectra and Fusaka upgrades for regular users?
For everyday users, the most noticeable change is the sharp drop in transaction costs—single transfer fees have fallen to $0.002–$0.008, and swap operations to about $0.01–$0.03. Additionally, EIP-7702 smart accounts allow users to pay gas fees in stablecoins like USDC and support batch transaction aggregation, reducing the cost of multi-step operations.
Q: Does a burn rate of 1.32% guarantee that ETH will become deflationary?
A higher burn rate increases the likelihood of ETH supply contraction, but whether ETH becomes deflationary depends on whether daily burn consistently exceeds validator reward issuance. After Fusaka, 30% of the base fee from Blob transactions is burned, raising the annualized burn rate from 0.89% to 1.32%. However, ETH currently hovers at the threshold between mild inflation and deflation.
Q: L2 fees are already very low—can they fall even further in the future?
Yes. The PeerDAS and BPO mechanisms introduced in the Fusaka upgrade lay the technical foundation for continued Blob scaling, with theoretical throughput increases of up to 8x. Analysts expect that as these mechanisms are gradually rolled out, L2 data costs could drop by another 40%–60%. However, the pace of fee reductions must be balanced with network stability and decentralization considerations.
