At the BUIDL Asia 2026 event in Seoul, Ethereum Foundation researcher Luca Zanolini gave a detailed presentation on the current structure of the Ethereum network and upcoming changes. On the conference’s second day, Zanolini outlined how the Ethereum team aims to speed up transaction finality while maintaining the network’s continuous block production.
Uninterrupted operation remains a core focus
Zanolini emphasized that Ethereum has managed to keep block production running nonstop over the last decade. He pointed out that the network is engineered to continue operating even in the face of validator outages or technical failures. This design principle is known as dynamic availability.
Thanks to dynamic availability, block production can move forward with the active validators even if some go offline. A clear example of this was in 2023 when more than half the validators became inactive due to a client bug, yet network operations continued uninterrupted.
This capability is distinct from the concept of transaction finality. In Ethereum’s current design, it is not possible to optimize both block production and full transaction finality at the same time, resulting in some delay.
New model may sharply reduce finality time
Currently, it takes about 15 minutes for a transaction to reach full finality on the Ethereum network. All validators must reach consensus for this to happen, which enhances security but limits speed.
To tackle this issue, the Ethereum Foundation is exploring a new model that more clearly separates block production from the finality process. Under this proposal, a smaller committee—rather than all validators—would be responsible for producing and voting on blocks. If adopted, this change could bring transaction finality below one minute and potentially make it even faster.
According to Zanolini, the goal is to present these structural changes to the community between 2029 and 2030. Maintaining both robust security and uninterrupted operation will remain key priorities throughout this transition.
Ethereum’s security relies not only on its technical consensus mechanisms but also on economic incentives. Validators that break the rules are penalized through “slashing,” causing them to lose part of their staked assets. This system underpins network security with real economic consequences for misbehavior.
Additionally, the “inactivity leak” mechanism further supports network stability. Validators who stay offline for prolonged periods see their staked holdings gradually reduced, allowing active participants to restore balance and ensure smooth operations.
Zanolini highlighted that Ethereum is designed as a self-sustaining, self-healing network requiring no external intervention, and that its relatively slow transaction finality is a conscious trade-off to maintain this equilibrium.
