Ethereum's next major protocol upgrade, Hegotá, has scoped 66 proposals for potential inclusion, with privacy improvements as a core theme, according to developer statements. Only one feature, FOCIL, has been formally confirmed for the upgrade so far.
The 66-proposal scope represents a substantial increase from Pectra, Ethereum's previous major upgrade, which had 11 confirmed enhancement proposals (EIPs). Privacy improvements have become a recurring area of focus for Ethereum's roadmap, as network users and builders have flagged transaction visibility and account linkage as operational concerns.
FOCIL, a privacy-focused enhancement, is the single feature that has moved past review into official scheduled status for Hegotá, according to the upgrade's meta documentation. The remaining 65 proposals are still under evaluation by core developers.
Hegotá is expected to ship in 2027, placing it roughly 18 months after Pectra's deployment. Ethereum's upgrade cadence has stabilized around major releases every 12 to 18 months, with smaller hotfixes and minor patches deployed more frequently between them.
The scoping of 66 candidates does not mean all will be debated equally or reach the final cut. Ethereum's governance process for upgrades relies on core developers reaching rough consensus on which proposals solve genuine problems without introducing excessive complexity or risk. Some proposals will likely be deferred to later upgrades or abandoned if their trade-offs do not justify inclusion.
Developer Toni Wahrstätter posted details of the scope on August 16, confirming the figure across multiple development channels. The proposal list will be narrowed further as Hegotá moves through the specification and testing phases.
A 66-candidate pool at the scoping stage is substantially larger than the 11 confirmed EIPs in Pectra at the same point, yet the final confirmed features for Hegotá remain minimal. Ethereum's development teams have prioritized privacy and scalability work over the past two years, with privacy candidates alongside infrastructure proposals under consideration.
The document to watch is the Hegotá Meta EIP, which will track which of the 66 proposals receive formal scheduling into the upgrade timeline as development progresses.
