Fermi Upgrade Slashes Block Times to 0.45 Seconds
BNB Chain has initiated its Fermi hard fork, a significant performance upgrade that reduces BNB Smart Chain (BSC) block times from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds. The update, which went live on Wednesday, also aims to bring transaction finality to approximately one second, placing the network among the fastest major Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible chains. This activation marks the final step in BNB Chain's "short block interval" roadmap.
The core of the Fermi upgrade lies in its refined consensus rules, which allow validators to produce and propagate blocks more quickly without losing synchronization. According to Nina Rong, executive director at BNB Chain, the objective is to achieve faster speeds "without compromising reliability." Stricter voting parameters are also included to minimize finality delays, particularly during periods of high network congestion.
Upgrade Targets DeFi and Gaming with Sub-Second Finality
BNB Chain is explicitly targeting latency-sensitive applications with the Fermi upgrade. The near-instant finality is designed to improve the user experience for onchain trading platforms, real-time decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, and interactive gaming decentralized applications (DApps). These use cases demand stable and predictable confirmation times, which the upgrade aims to deliver even under heavy network load.
Past episodes of network congestion informed the design of Fermi, which includes tighter rules for validator coordination to maintain responsiveness. The transition is expected to be seamless for most DApps and smart contracts, requiring no code changes. However, developers of applications that depend on precise block timing are advised to review their logic, as blocks will now be generated significantly faster.
BNB Chain Solidifies Rank After 3.89 Billion Transactions in 2025
The Fermi upgrade reinforces BNB Chain's competitive position in the layer-1 landscape. In 2025, the network processed approximately 3.89 billion transactions, ranking second only to Solana in onchain activity. This performance was driven by a combination of low fees and an active DeFi and memecoin ecosystem. With its new sub-second finality, BNB Chain further distances itself from the Ethereum base layer, which produces a block approximately every 12 seconds.
Crucially, BNB Chain accomplishes this speed while retaining its EVM compatibility. This provides a key strategic advantage over non-EVM rivals like Solana, appealing to a large base of developers who seek high performance without needing to migrate from the established EVM environment. The upgrade is a central part of BNB Chain's 2026 tech roadmap, which prioritizes high-performance infrastructure and predictable latency for complex workloads.
