Rationale for Ethereum's New Plan to Become a High-Speed 'Internet of Value' by 2029

News Analysis Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Here is why Ethereum's bold new plan could make the blockchain giant high-speed 'internet of value' by 2029 Beneath the technical language of the 'Strawmap' is a far simpler story: Ethereum is trying to decide what kind of infrastructure it wants to be by the end of the decade. By Margaux Nijkerk | Edited by Aoyon Ashraf Feb 26, 2026, 8:33 p. m. Make us preferred on Google Justin Drake (Getty Images) What to know : Ethereum researchers have released a draft "Strawmap" roadmap outlining potential upgrades through 2029, signaling how the second-largest blockchain might evolve even though the plan is not binding. The document centers on five goals — near-instant finality, higher throughput, built-in privacy, quantum-resistant security and tighter integration with layer 2s — aiming to make Ethereum faster, more scalable, more private and more durable. The Strawmap reflects a shift toward a dual-track strategy in which Ethereum’s base layer grows stronger while layer 2 networks take on more specialized roles, even as the roadmap remains subject to change in the network’s decentralized governance process. The Ethereum Foundation’s newly released “Strawmap” reads, at first glance, like something only a protocol researcher could immediately comprehend. It’s dense, diagram-heavy and packed with references to forks, zkEVMs and data availability sampling.