VeChain Schedules VIP-255 Mainnet Launch for September as VET Rallies 23%
The VeChain blockchain is preparing for a major technical evolution as its upcoming VIP-255 upgrade moves closer to mainnet deployment. Following a successful Interstellar governance vote that cleared the protocol changes, VeChainThor is set to integrate several key Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). These integrations will introduce advanced Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) instructions, cryptographic functions, and enhanced network safeguards to the ecosystem.
Coinciding with this developmental milestone, the network’s native token, $VET, experienced a significant upward trajectory. Over a 24-hour period, the VET token rose 23.53%, trading at approximately $0.006967 at press time. This price surge pushed VeChain’s market capitalization to roughly $599.08 million, accompanied by a 277.97% increase in 24-hour trading volume, signaling robust market interest and heightened trader participation.
VeChain VIP-255 Integrates New EVM Functions
The VIP-255 upgrade is designed to bring VeChainThor closer to alignment with modern Ethereum standards by adopting several highly anticipated EVM upgrades. Among the core additions is EIP-1153, which introduces transient storage for smart contracts. This feature allows for temporary contract storage at a low cost of 100 gas, with all stored information automatically cleared after execution, optimizing on-chain efficiency.
Additionally, the upgrade incorporates several other key proposals:
- EIP-5656: Introduces the MCOPY instruction, enabling more efficient copying of memory data.
- EIP-6780: Modifies the SELFDESTRUCT opcode behavior, ensuring contracts transfer their balances without deleting their underlying code.
- EIP-7939: Implements a five-gas CLZ instruction to perform direct leading-zero calculations.
Upgraded Cryptography and Advanced Wallet Security
Security and developer flexibility receive a major boost in the VIP-255 upgrade through new cryptographic precompiles. EIP-2537 introduces native BLS12-381 curve support. According to VeChain, this native implementation drastically lowers the computational cost for operations such as signature verification and cross-chain bridging compared to recreating the curve manually within Solidity.
For end-users, EIP-7951 brings native secp256r1 (P-256) verification. Because this cryptographic curve is widely used by modern mobile devices, hardware security keys, and passkey standards, its integration enables VeChainThor wallets to support biometric and passkey-based authorization. This functionality works seamlessly alongside VeChain’s existing native features like account abstraction and fee delegation.
Furthermore, EIP-7823 and EIP-7883 modify the network’s MODEXP function by restricting input sizes to 1,024 bytes and introducing revised gas pricing parameters to ensure stable execution.
Protocol Safeguards and Predictable Blocks
To ensure network stability and predictable block production, the VIP-255 upgrade implements three core protocol-level restrictions:
- EIP-2935: Makes historical block hashes from the most recent 8,191 blocks accessible via an Ethereum-compatible contract interface, resolved on VeChainThor through its built-in Extension contract.
- EIP-7825: Imposes a strict ceiling of 16,777,216 gas per individual transaction.
- EIP-7934: Establishes an upper limit of 8 MiB on the encoded block size.
Estimated Activation Timeline
The Interstellar upgrade is scheduled for mainnet activation at block height 25,902,540, which is projected to occur on September 16, 2026, at approximately 11:15:10 UTC. VeChain has noted that this date and time are estimates, as the precise activation depends entirely on the speed at which the network reaches the designated block height.
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