Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade is set to go live on the Holesky and Sepolia testnets in February and March, according to the latest announcement from core developers.

On Feb. 6, Ethereum (ETH) core developers confirmed that the Pectra upgrade will launch on the Ethereum test networks Holesky on February 24, 2025, and Sepolia on March 5, 2025.

If all goes well, the highly anticipated network update will go live on the mainnet in April. Earlier timelines had the mainnet in March

Tim Beiko, an Ethereum core developer and Ethereum Foundation support lead, shared the timeline details on X. According to him, Holesky is set to fork at slot 3710976, while Sepolia will fork at slot 7118848.

“Assuming Sepolia goes smoothly, we’ll pick the mainnet slot on the March 6 ACD call,” the developer noted. 

March 6, 2025, is when Ethereum’s All Core Developers are scheduled to meet and finalize a decision on Pectra’s mainnet launch.

Pectra is expected to introduce eight key improvements to the Ethereum network, with wallets and validators as major focus areas. The most notable proposals include EIP-7702 and EIP-7251, which aim to enhance security and efficiency for these components.

Announcement of Holesky and Sepolia testnet dates for Pectra, and a possible mainnet launch brings the first major upgrade for Ethereum closer since the Dencun upgrade in March 2024. Dencun was key in significantly reducing layer 2 gas fees.  

If Pectra goes live as planned, the next focus will be the Fusaka upgrade expected in Q4.

ETH, the native token of the Ethereum network, has largely struggled over the past several months, underperforming Bitcoin (BTC) and other top altcoins.

A lot of the downside pressure has come amid controversy surrounding the Ethereum Foundation. However, after dipping to lows of $2,100 as cryptocurrencies sold off amid market reaction to tariffs news, ETH bounced back to $2,900.

Could the upcoming Pectra testnets and possible release in April provide a catalyst?