Tezos activates Quebec upgrade, improving speed and network efficiency

Tezos has successfully implemented its 17th protocol upgrade, Quebec, marking another milestone in the evolution of the blockchain.

The upgrade introduces faster transaction speeds, improved staking mechanisms, and token issuance improvements, all aimed at improving the functionality and sustainability of the blockchain.

Developed by the teams at Nomadic Labs, Trilitech and Functori, the Quebec upgrade was approved by Theses“On-chain governance system, according to a press release shared with crypto.news.

One of the main changes in the Quebec upgrade is the reduction of block time from 10 seconds to 8 seconds. This allows transactions to reach finality in just 16 seconds, making Tezos (XTZ) a strong candidate for applications where speed is essential, like payments and gaming.

Importantly, these performance improvements do not increase hardware requirements, allowing validators, called bakers, to continue participating in the network using affordable infrastructure.

Tezos Staking

The upgrade also brings changes to Tezos staking system.

Staking, which allows users to lock up tokens to secure the network and earn rewards, has been made more accessible. With Quebec’s upgrade, bakers can now accept external stakes of up to nine times their own stake, an increase from the previous limit of five. This adjustment strengthens network security by making staking more attractive to participants.

Additionally, Quebec is refining Tezos’ adaptive issuance mechanism, which was introduced in a previous update. The improved system better balances staking rewards with inflation control. Active staking participants now earn three times more yield than delegators, up from a previous ratio of two times.