Ethereum has completed the “Shapella” upgrade on its Sepolia testnet, according to tweets from various Ethereum developers on Feb. 28.
The update was completed at epoch 56 832 at 4:04 am UTC as planned.
The name “Shapella” is an acronym referring to the fact that the update combines two related updates: Shanghai (which adds features to the Ethereum execution layer) and Capella (which adds features to the Ethereum consensus layer).
The update specifically moves Ethereum closer to allowing validators to stop staking their ETH. Validators who stake 32 ETH on-chain are currently unable to withdraw their funds, but will be able to do so when the update is fully rolled out later.
The developers previously introduced the feature to the Zhejang testnet on February 1. The developers said today that the feature will be introduced next on the Goerili testnet.
The update is expected to hit the Ethereum mainnet in March. At this point, the removal function will be applied to ETH with actual market value.
