Ethereum Foundation releases Protocol update 003: Optimize user experience and propose a multi-track roadmap to 2026

The Ethereum Foundation released Protocol Update 003 to improve user experience, outlining a multi-track roadmap that makes Ethereum feel “like a chain again” and released a protocol update that prioritizes faster confirmation, cross-chain interactions with minimal trust, and new user experience and privacy tools on the second largest blockchain in cryptocurrency. The program introduces three workflows, called Initialization, Acceleration, and Complete, and announces deliverables and target dates extending to 2026. Under the initialization process, Ethereum Foundation (EF) engineers and ecosystem team are launching an Open Intents Framework that allows users to express desired results. In addition, the developers have proposed an Ethereum interoperability layer that aims to promote trustless transactions across the Layer 2 network and have developed a set of standards designed to reduce friction.