BNB Smart Chain Pasteur hard fork: Security and speed upgrades

BNB Smart Chain’s Pasteur hard fork launches August 25, 2026, with security and performance upgrades. Node operators must update to v1.7.7. The upgrade boosts throughput and tightens validator controls.

BNB Smart Chain will activate the Pasteur hard fork on its mainnet at 02:30 AM UTC on August 25, 2026. Node operators must upgrade to client version v1.7.7 before this time to maintain network connectivity. This upgrade implements three proposals—BEP-682, BEP-695, and BEP-675—under the meta proposal BEP-673. BEP-682 enhances cross-chain bridge security by rejecting duplicate validator signatures, closing a loophole that previously allowed manipulation. BEP-695 ensures validator key rotations remove old keys' permissions, transfer pending penalties, and block governance voting from restricted addresses. BEP-675 boosts performance by enabling builders to submit pre-executed blocks, raising testnet throughput from 1,237 to 2,324 transactions per second without altering gas limits or block times. Node operators must also remove the outdated EnableBAL setting from configuration files. These changes aim to strengthen security, improve validator governance, and increase network throughput, supporting BNB Chain’s growth.