2026 Will Be a Turning Point for Ethereum ZK Scaling, with Verification Mechanisms Undergoing a Merge-Level Transformation

According to ChainCatcher, researchers and developers expect that 2026 will be a pivotal year for Ethereum to achieve exponential scaling based on zero-knowledge proofs (ZK). By then, some Ethereum validators will no longer re-execute transactions but will directly verify ZK proofs, fundamentally changing the way the blockchain operates. The scale of this transformation could rival the 2022 “Merge,” when Ethereum transitioned from PoW to PoS.