tl;dr
BNB Chain has deployed the Maxwell Hard Fork on its testnet, set for mainnet launch on June 30, 2025. The upgrade halves block times from 1.5 to 0.75 seconds, improves validator communication, and enhances sync efficiency, aiming to balance speed and stability. Key changes include extended epoch len...
BNB Chain has deployed the Maxwell Hard Fork on its testnet, with the mainnet launch scheduled for June 30, 2025. This significant upgrade halves block time from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds, enhancing blockchain speed and efficiency while maintaining network health and decentralization.
Key network changes include longer epoch lengths (from 500 to 1,000 blocks), stable proposer durations with validators leading 16 blocks per turn, a reduced per-block gas limit halved from 70 million to 35 million, and faster block propagation within 400 milliseconds. These improvements boost validator communication and sync efficiency across the network.
Users will benefit from near-instant transaction finality of approximately 1.9 seconds, which enables Web3 applications such as real-time gaming, prediction markets, and high-frequency trading to operate directly on Layer-1. This upgrade brings BNB Chain closer to offering a Web2-like user experience with fluid and immediate transaction confirmations.
BNB Chain already leads decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume with over $13 billion in a 24-hour period, handling 12 times more transactions per second than Ethereum. Although the chain still lags behind Ethereum in block time and finality—87.5% and 99.21% lower respectively—the Maxwell Hard Fork is widely considered very bullish by industry experts, promising better performance and reduced failure rates seen in earlier network events.
This foundational overhaul positions BNB Chain as a high-performance, EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain rivaling the likes of Solana and Ethereum on transaction throughput and speed. Despite these technical advancements, BNB’s price has seen minimal movement post-announcement, trading around $674.08 with only a 0.05% increase.