## BNB Chain Upgrades with Pascal Hardfork
BNB Chain implemented the Pascal Hardfork on March 20th, significantly upgrading its smart contract functionality and transaction efficiency. This upgrade integrates Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 7702, a key enhancement to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) that BNB Chain is an early adopter of.
### Enhanced Smart Contract Capabilities
EIP-7702 introduces smart contract wallets, enabling features like gasless transactions, batch approvals, and streamlined asset swaps. This improvement simplifies user onboarding and offers developers greater flexibility in building decentralized applications (dApps).
### Network Preparations and Future Upgrades
Prior to the hardfork, BNB Chain advised node operators, validators, exchanges, and infrastructure providers to update their systems to maintain compatibility and prevent disruptions. Looking ahead, BNB Chain plans further upgrades: the Lorentz Hardfork in April 2025 aims to reduce block times to 1.5 seconds, and the Maxwell Hardfork in June 2025 will further reduce it to 0.75 seconds, significantly boosting network speed.
## BNB Chain Sees Surge in DEX Activity
The Pascal Hardfork comes amidst a surge in decentralized exchange (DEX) activity on the BNB Chain. Recent data shows BNB Chain surpassing both Ethereum and Solana in 24-hour DEX transaction volume, reaching $2.13 billion. Weekly trading volume has also seen a significant increase of nearly 60%, reaching $13.56 billion, while rival networks experienced declines.
### Memecoin Boom Fuels Growth
This growth is partly attributed to the increasing popularity of memecoins like Mubarak, driving trading activity on PancakeSwap, BNB Chain’s primary DEX. PancakeSwap’s recent 24-hour transaction volume nearly doubled that of Uniswap, highlighting the network’s growing prominence in the DeFi space.
