Ethereum eyes under 1 minute finality with new model

At BUIDL Asia 2026, Ethereum Foundation researcher Luca Zanolini outlined a proposal to sharply reduce transaction finality by separating block production from the finality process. Today finality takes about 15 minutes; the new model would use a smaller committee to produce and vote on blocks, potentially bringing finality below one minute. The changes aim to preserve Ethereum’s dynamic availability and security mechanisms (slashing, inactivity leak). While faster finality could improve UX, DeFi settlement speed, and institutional appeal—supporting bullish medium-term demand for ETH—the plan is exploratory with structural changes slated for community presentation in 2029–2030, so immediate market impact is likely limited.