Vitalik's Plan for Ethereum in 2026 Focuses on *Restoring Ethereum to Its "Cypherpunk" Roots*: More decentralized, private, and user-friendly. Here are the main points:

### 1. *Glamsterdam Upgrade - H2 2026*
This is the next major upgrade after Fusaka. Targeted for release in the second half of 2026. Its contents include:
- *ePBS/EIP-7732*: Separate validator duties to make blocks more efficient
- *Block-Level Access Lists*: Make block execution faster
- *Gas limit increased 3x+*: From 60M to 200M per block. Meaning TPS increases, and L2 fees become cheaper a0698696

### 2. *5 Short-Term Focus Areas for 2026*
Vitalik mentioned these at the Hong Kong Web3 Carnival 2026:
1. *Scaling L1*: Gas limit increases again, aiming for a 5x total increase from now
2. *ZK-EVM*: Make verification faster & cheaper
3. *Post-quantum readiness*: Prepare Ethereum to resist quantum computer attacks. The Post-Quantum Security team was formed in January 2026. ETH2030 upgrades will add 6 quantum-resistant signature schemes
4. *Block pipeline improvements*: Make block builders more decentralized, reduce centralization
5. *Privacy*: Promote private payments with UX similar to regular transfers a9f386960f3071c3

### 3. *Privacy & Decentralization - Major Themes for 2026*
Vitalik says 2026 is the year to "reclaim self-sovereignty and trustlessness." The current issues are:
- Nodes are hard for regular users to run
- Wallets rely too much on centralized RPCs like Infura/Alchemy
- Block builders are centralized, vulnerable to censorship 71c3e8dd0e7a

*Solutions being developed:*
- *Helios + ZK-EVM + BAL*: Allow users to verify data locally without a heavy full node
- *ORAM & PIR*: Make wallets request data from RPCs without revealing access patterns, so they can't be tracked
- *Social recovery wallets & timelocks*: Prevent fund loss if seed phrases are lost
- *Private payment UX*: Make private payments as easy as public ones 0e7a71c3ba80

### 4. *Long-Term Vision: "World Computer"*
Ethereum aims to become a truly decentralized global computer. The target is 10,000+ TPS through L1 + rollup optimizations, without sacrificing decentralization. e75f

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*In summary*: In 2026, Vitalik wants Ethereum to be faster, more private, and easier for regular users to operate. Not just chasing scalability, but also restoring the decentralization values that had "receded" for mass adoption. e8dd

Want me to create a visual timeline of Ethereum upgrades from 2025-2026 to make it easier to visualize?