Ethereum L1‑L2 Roadmap
The Ethereum Foundation has formalized a clearer split: L1 stays the secure global settlement hub while L2s evolve into differentiated platforms focused on UX, privacy and custom services — a pivot that makes deep L1‑L2 cooperation the market's critical variable. This shift comes as L2s see real traction (Katana OI surged 3.8x in five weeks) and the community watches upcoming upgrades (Glamsterdam, Hegotá) for scaling and price response implications. (mpost.io) (fxstreet.com)
A Platform Team post authored by Josh Rudolf, Julian Ma and Josh Stark was published March 23, 2026. (me3.io)) The Foundation directed L2 teams to meet at least “Stage 1” security standards (the explicit “walkaway” exit requirement) and recommended Stage 2/native rollup paths for projects seeking deeper L1 integration. (bitmart.com)) The post signals formal cooperation with L2BEAT to benchmark L2 security and transparency, and L2BEAT’s live registry currently lists Katana as Stage 0 with total value secured near $339M. (binance.com)) On-chain metrics show Katana’s ecosystem traction: DeFiLlama reports Katana TVL around $351.6M, while Blockworks’ Katana dashboard logs network revenue and operator payments (network REV $1,075,068 and operator payments $13,347 in a recent reporting period). (defillama.com)) Developer and media write-ups place Glamsterdam in H1 2026 with parallel execution and a proposed gas-limit boost to roughly 200 million, with Hegotá positioned as the follow-up upgrade that will add Verkle trees and further state-size reductions. (gate.com)) Third‑party risk and optimization firms such as Gauntlet — which has raised roughly $44.7M to date and published a case study on absorbing a $775M supply event in October 2025 — are being referenced by protocol teams as available partners for L2 economic and security modeling. (tracxn.com))
