Ethereum Institutional Backs Plan to Slash Block Times Amid Growing Competition

Ethereum Institutional has voiced support for Ethlabs' motion to reduce Ethereum block times, aiming to make the network faster and more competitive in the market. The non-profit organization made this announcement on Friday via an X post, citing that reducing block times is necessary as 'more institutional activity moves onchain.'

Ethlabs recently published an article quoting 20 decentralized finance (DeFi) founders showing broad support for EIP-8198, also known as 'Quick Slots,' which seeks to initially reduce Ethereum block times to 10 seconds from 12 seconds. This proposal is expected to be included in the upcoming Hegotá upgrade, scheduled to begin implementation in late 2026.

This move comes as other blockchain networks are working on similar initiatives. On Monday, Zcash token holders backed cutting the network's target block time to 25 seconds from 75 seconds. Additionally, Solana reduced its slot time from 400 milliseconds to 350ms in August and has plans to further reduce it to 200ms.