Ethereum's Pectra Test Faces Another Hurdle, Will the April Upgrade Proceed as Planned?
Original Article Title: "Ethereum Pectra Test Faces Another Failure! Mainnet Upgrade in April May Be Delayed, ETH Market Sentiment Hits Bottom"
Original Article Author: DaFi Weaver, from BlockTempo at Dooqu
Following the successful launch of the Holesky testnet, the Ethereum Pectra upgrade was scheduled to be activated on the Sepolia testnet yesterday (5). This was the final crucial stage before the mainnet upgrade. However, after several hours of testing, Sepolia started experiencing errors, leading some developers to call for a delay in the mainnet upgrade scheduled around April 8. This may further dampen the already low Ethereum sentiment.
Sepolia Testnet Encounters Empty Block Issue
The reason for the failure was that developers noticed the Sepolia testnet starting to experience empty block issues.
The Ethereum Foundation stated that this was due to a configuration error in the Sepolia testnet's deposit contract, causing many execution layer clients to be unable to include transactions in blocks. It was emphasized that this was only a testnet configuration issue and not a flaw in Pectra itself. In other words, this issue will not impact the Ethereum mainnet and only occurred in the Sepolia test environment.
Developers from the Ethereum Foundation stated that they "identified the root cause of the problem within minutes" and promptly deployed a fix to restore normal network operation. As of last night at 10:00 (UTC+8), validators had successfully resolved the issue, and network throughput returned to normal.
Despite this, the test still raised concerns about whether Pectra has been thoroughly tested. This is because a previous test on Ethereum's Holesky testnet also experienced issues with chain fork, caused by misconfigured validators.
· Holesky Testnet was the first stage of testing
· Sepolia Testnet is the second stage of testing, which should proceed to mainnet upgrade if no issues arise
Galaxy Digital Research Vice President: Mainnet Upgrade Needs to Be Delayed
Galaxy Digital's Research Vice President, Christine Kim, stated in an interview with CoinDesk:
I do think the issues on the Holesky and Sepolia testnets necessitate a delay in the Pectra mainnet upgrade.
Kim pointed out that while developers may be ready, the entire Ethereum ecosystem, including smart contract applications and wallet service providers, also needs to prepare accordingly. He suggested that Ethereum developers should use this time to establish additional testing infrastructure to ensure the stability of the upgrade.
Ethereum core developers will hold a meeting on March 7 to determine the official launch date of the Pectra upgrade. If a delay is announced, it may trigger further community unrest, especially given the current low ETH price, significant restructuring within the Ethereum Foundation, and competition from public chains like Solana, all putting pressure on the Ethereum ecosystem.
Ethereum Market Sentiment Hits Annual Low
Blockchain data analytics platform Santiment noted that Ethereum's market sentiment has dropped to a one-year low, primarily due to its recent underperformance compared to other major crypto assets.
However, for ETH investors with patience, Santiment is optimistic:
The prevailing pessimism in the community might actually be a precursor to a market bottom and recovery. Once the crypto market stabilizes, ETH could have the opportunity for a rebound.

ETH Surges Over 4%
As of the time of writing, ETH, driven by Bitcoin's rise, is currently trading at $2,275, hitting a 24-hour high of $2,288, up 4.67%. It has rebounded nearly 15% from its recent low of $1,993.

You may also like

Will Robots Replace Humans? He Says No!

Binance Coin's Price Skyrockets 15x to All-Time High, Saved by Three Bull Market Lifelines

The organization has accessed the prediction market, but is stuck at the third stage

Head of crypto VC collective shrinks: a16z crypto fund management scale plummets by 40%, Multicoin cut in half

Arthur Hayes New Post: It's "No Trade" Time Now

Claude Opus 4.7 Review: Is It Worthy of the Title of Strongest Model?

DWF In-Depth Report: AI Outperforms Humans in Yield Farming Optimization in DeFi, But Complex Transactions Still Lag Behind 5x

The financial tricks of the crypto giant Kraken

When proactive market makers start to take initiative

Massive Whale Movement: Unstaking $84.96 Million in HYPE Tokens
Key Takeaways A crypto whale, known as TechnoRevenant, has unstaked approximately $84.96 million in HYPE tokens. The tokens…

ListaDAO Addresses Third-Party Contract Vulnerability Concerns
Key Takeaways GoPlus Security revealed a vulnerability in a contract resembling those of ListaDAO. ListaDAO confirmed that their…

Security Risks of Fake Ledger Nano S+ Devices Emerging Through Chinese E-Commerce
Key Takeaways Counterfeit Ledger Nano S+ devices are being sold on Chinese e-commerce platforms, posing significant risks to…

Wave of Cyber Attacks Hits DeFi Protocols Post-Drift Hack
Key Takeaways A significant $280 million attack on Drift Protocol set off a chain of security breaches across…

Tom Lee Says ‘Mini Crypto Winter’ Is Over, Sees Ether Above $60K
Key Takeaways: Tom Lee predicts Ether’s resurgence, projecting it to surpass $60,000 in the coming years. Bitmine suffered…

French Government Tackles Rising Crypto Safety Concerns
Key Takeaways: France is intensifying measures to counter the surge in crypto kidnappings and wrench attacks. Since early…

Europe’s Bitcoin Treasury Playbook Unlikely to Mirror US Strategy: PBW 2026
Key Takeaways: European firms are adapting unique Bitcoin treasury strategies due to distinct financial regulations and market dynamics…

Circle Confronts Lawsuit Over $280M Drift Protocol Hack
Key Takeaways: Circle faces a lawsuit for allegedly aiding in the transfer of $230 million in stolen USDC.…

Bitcoin Faces ‘Near-Term Selling Pressure’ Following Surge to $76K: CryptoQuant
Key Takeaways: Bitcoin reaches a multi-month high of $76,000, prompting increased deposits to exchanges. CryptoQuant identifies a peak…




