BNB Chain Announces Activation of Fermi Hard Fork in BSC Mainnet

The BNB Chain developers announced the planned activation of the Fermi hard fork in the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) mainnet on January 14, 2026, at 02:30 UTC. This update is part of efforts to improve network performance, including reducing the block interval from 750 milliseconds to 450 milliseconds, which will increase throughput and transaction processing efficiency.

The Fermi hard fork includes the implementation of several key BEP (BNB Evolution Proposals) aimed at optimizing the network:

• BEP-590: Extended voting rules for fast finality stability.
• BEP-619: Third phase of block interval reduction to 0.45 seconds.
• BEP-592: Non-consensus access list at the block level.
• BEP-593: Incremental snapshots.
• BEP-610: Implementation of EVM super-instructions.

These changes are aimed at increasing transaction speed, reducing latency, and overall improving the user experience in the BNB Chain ecosystem, which is one of the most popular for DeFi, NFTs, and games. The testnet has already undergone the update on November 10, 2025, and for the mainnet, the recommended client versions are v1.6.4 and v1.6.5. All validators and builders are required to update before activation to avoid network issues.

Experts note that updates like Fermi could enhance BNB Chain's competitiveness compared to other blockchains such as Ethereum or Solana, thanks to higher speed and lower fees. At the time of the announcement, the BNB price is around $823, with a 1.76% drop over the last day, but analysts predict potential growth after successful activation, considering historical market reactions to similar upgrades.

This update is part of BNB Chain's broader strategy for 2026, which includes further improvements such as opBNB with a 250 ms interval, which could accelerate the network even more. Developers recommend following official channels for additional update instructions.