BNB Chain Will Hard Fork in March to Introduce Smart Contract Wallets

Pascal Hard Fork to Boost Ethereum Compatibility

BNB Chain is preparing for its Pascal hard fork, set to launch on the mainnet in mid-March 2025, with the testnet upgrade rolling out in February. This upgrade is designed to enhance Ethereum compatibility by introducing native smart contract wallets, a feature also expected in Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade.

These smart contract wallets will bring several key improvements, including:
✅ Spending limits for better fund management
✅ Batch transactions to reduce gas fees
✅ Multisignature support for increased security
✅ BEP-439 integration (similar to Ethereum’s EIP-2537) to consolidate multiple digital signatures into a single one, making transaction verification more efficient

BNB Chain’s Roadmap: More Upgrades Coming

In addition to Pascal, BNB Chain has scheduled two more major hard forks:
📌 Lorentz Hard Fork (April 2025) – Reduces block intervals to 1.5 seconds, improving transaction speeds
📌 Maxwell Hard Fork (June 2025) – Further reduces block intervals to 0.75 seconds for even faster performance

These upgrades aim to make BNB Chain more competitive with high-speed networks like Solana, ensuring it remains a key player in the DeFi and Web3 ecosystem.

BNB Chain vs. Ethereum: Pascal Mirrors Pectra

BNB Chain’s Pascal upgrade closely follows Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade, one of the most significant Ethereum hard forks in recent history.

Key features of Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade include:
✔️ Native smart contract wallets (similar to Pascal)
✔️ Expanded data-handling capabilities
✔️ Increased blob count per block (up to nine), improving data availability and making rollups cheaper

By aligning with Ethereum’s advancements, BNB Chain is positioning itself as a strong competitor while maintaining its own unique innovations.

BNB Chain’s Resurgence: Memecoins and Market Momentum

Once a dominant DeFi blockchain, BNB Chain had faded from the spotlight as Ethereum and Solana battled for supremacy. However, recent memecoin hype—sparked by Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) mentioning his dog, Broccoli—has reignited interest and activity on the network.

💰 BNB price has surged nearly 14% in two weeks, overtaking Solana (SOL) in market cap rankings.
📉 Meanwhile, SOL has dropped over 10%, facing insider trading controversies and rug pull allegations in its memecoin sector.

What’s Next?

BNB Chain’s 2025 roadmap signals a strong focus on improving performance and fostering memecoin adoption, making it a network to watch in the coming months.