ePBS + Trustless Payments Locked for Glamsterdam V1

In a decisive move during the All Core Developers Consensus (ACDC) Call #167, Ethereum’s core teams agreed to retain Trustless Payments bundled with enshrined Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) for the upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade (V1). The integration ensures an on-chain settlement mechanism between block builders & validators, paving the way for reduced dependence on off-chain relays & improved transparency in block production.

• The Debate: Bundle or Separate?
• Impact on Builders, Validators & Staking Operators
• Implementation Roadmap & Next Steps

The Debate: Bundle or Separate?

One of the most debated topics on the call revolved around whether Trustless Payments should be integrated directly with ePBS or shipped as a standalone Ethereum EIP. Trustless Payments provides an on-chain method for value transfer between builders & validators, effectively replacing the need for centralized relay coordination.

Several developers advocated keeping it independent to simplify implementation & reduce complexity. Others, however, highlighted that splitting the mechanisms too early could fragment engineering focus & delay testing cohesion.

After extensive discussion, the community reached consensus to retain Trustless Payments within ePBS for Glamsterdam V1 to maintain a coherent launch & complete the integrated specification. A more modular redesign can be considered later for Glamsterdam V2 once production stability is achieved.

Impact on Builders, Validators & Staking Operators

By locking in the combined ePBS + Trustless Payments design, Ethereum takes a major step toward decentralized & transparent block building economics. The integrated approach enables on-chain payment settlements, reducing reliance on opaque off-chain coordination between proposers & builders.

Liquid-staking operators like Lido & Rocket Pool noted that co-existence of on-chain & off-chain payment paths will require enhanced monitoring, accounting & auditing infrastructure. Validator clients must implement dual-path support, allowing fallback to off-protocol routes if the on-chain mechanism faces congestion.

Implementation Roadmap & Next Steps

The integration of ePBS + Trustless Payments will dominate the consensus-layer engineering bandwidth for the remainder of the year. Core teams have agreed that client developers will now proceed with full V1 implementation, targeting early Devnet deployments once Fusaka’s mainnet upgrade concludes successfully.

Meanwhile, builders & relay operators are encouraged to begin testing on-chain settlement flows using sandboxed environments, ensuring readiness for Devnet validation. Staking protocols must also adapt their accounting systems for dual payment flow management, including fallback routing logic & audit transparency.

The decision to retain Trustless Payments bundled with ePBS reflects Ethereum’s commitment to delivering reliable, incremental upgrades rather than rushing feature fragmentation. As work on Glamsterdam accelerates, early Devnet tests will determine how well this integrated model performs under real-world load.

If you find any issues in this blog or notice any missing information, please feel free to reach out at yash@etherworld.co for clarifications or updates.

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