Christine D. Kim

Christine D. Kim

ACD After Hours

ACD After Hours: ACDT #67 🌙

The tortoise and the hare

Christine D. Kim's avatar
Christine D. Kim
Jan 27, 2026
∙ Paid

Good evening,

Tonight, I’m talking about Bitcoin. Well, specifically, Bitcoin’s post-quantum security roadmap in relation to Ethereum’s.

I often discuss Ethereum in my Bitcoin newsletters, BTC Before Light, but I realized I don’t often discuss Bitcoin in the context of ACD After Hours.

But today I found the perfect opportunity, thanks to an announcement over the weekend by the Ethereum Foundation’s Justin Drake about the organization’s newfound focus on post-quantum research and development.

Let’s get into it.

Yours truly,

Christine D. Kim


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🗒️ Call Minutes

(For background on the ACD process and jargon used on these calls, refer to the Ethereum Governance 101 document in the ACD Toolkit.)

BALs Devnet-2

  • Developers are preparing to launch a new multi-client developer-focused test network (devnet) for testing Glamsterdam features called BALs Devnet-2.

  • There is a new reference-test release for the five execution-layer (EL)-focused code changes that developers plan to test on BALs Devnet-2.

  • The Geth, Besu, and Reth client teams reported that they are ready to proceed with BALs Devnet-2 launch this week.

  • However, due to a pending change to EIP-7778, client teams agreed to delay the BALs Devnet-2 launch until clients have this change implemented.

ePBS Devnet-0

  • BALs Devnet-2 focuses on implementing EL-focused Glamsterdam features. The devnet for testing consensus-layer (CL) changes in the upgrade is called ePBS Devnet-0, named after the CL-headliner feature for Glamsterdam, enshrined proposer builder separation.

  • All CL client teams reported progress towards ePBS Devnet-0 launch. However, as discussed last Thursday and reiterated on this call, client teams are unlikely to be ready for a devnet launch until late February.

  • Developers discussed an open issue related to Beacon API software that may break previous functionality for retrieving block data.

  • Ethereum Foundation (EF) Researcher Justin Traglia said he is working on a new CL specifications release for ePBS Devnet-1 launch, which will follow after ePBS Devnet-0 launch.

ACD Process Changes

  • EF Testing Team Lead Mario Vega shared clarifications on the devnet testing process to differentiate between a feature being tested on devnet vs. labeled as “scheduled for inclusion” in an upgrade.

  • Ethereum Cat Herders President Pooja Ranjan highlighted three outstanding issues for organizing information about blob-parameter-only (BPO) hard forks in the Ethereum Github Project Management repository.


🌕 That’s all for my summary of ACDT #67. Continue reading for pointed takeaways and direct quotes about Ethereum protocol development. To read the rest of the newsletter, make sure you are signed up for a premium subscription:

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Protocol Watch


🔎 Insights

(Quotes featured in this section may be edited for grammar and clarity. For more information on the people quoted in this section, refer to the ACD Call Directory in the ACD Toolkit.)

On Friday, Ethereum Foundation (EF) researcher Justin Drake shared several announcements regarding the organization’s new focus on post-quantum (PQ) research and development.

X avatar for @drakefjustin
Justin Drake@drakefjustin
Today marks an inflection in the Ethereum Foundation's long-term quantum strategy. We've formed a new Post Quantum (PQ) team, led by the brilliant Thomas Coratger (@tcoratger). Joining him is Emile, one of the world-class talents behind leanVM. leanVM is the cryptographic
8:05 PM ¡ Jan 23, 2026 ¡ 1.11M Views

282 Replies ¡ 571 Reposts ¡ 3.05K Likes

Most of the announcements were minor. There were plans for more meetings, more educational podcasts, and updates on development, such as the PQ devnets and workshops, that have been underway since 2025.

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