Ethereum Fast Confirmation Rule Aims to Cut Deposit Times by 90% within Minutes

Vitalik Buterin has endorsed a new Ethereum rule that would significantly reduce deposit times from the mainnet to Layer 2 networks and centralized exchanges.

The Fast Confirmation Rule (FCR) proposal, put forward by Ethereum Foundation researcher Julian Ma, aims to cut deposit times from around 13 minutes to approximately 13 seconds without requiring a hard fork.

FCR targets one of the most persistent friction points in the Ethereum ecosystem: the delay incurred when moving assets from the base layer to L2s or exchanges. Most platforms currently rely on 'k-deep' confirmation rules, which offer no formal security guarantees.

Under FCR, a block is treated as confirmed once sufficient validator attestations have accumulated - a process that takes roughly 13 seconds under normal network conditions. The mechanism operates one level below Ethereum's formal finality and rests on two explicit assumptions: that the network delivers attestations within approximately 8 seconds, and that no single actor controls more than 25% of staked ETH.

The rule is already being implemented by consensus layer client teams via a configuration flag. Ma described an '80-98%' reduction in deposit times for most L2s and exchanges. Buterin called it 'very strong for many use cases.'