> At a Glance
> – opBNB reduced block interval from 500 ms to 250 ms on January 7
> – Network completed Fourier hard fork upgrade smoothly at 03:00 UTC
> – BNB price rose 1% in 24h to $917 following the upgrade
> – Why it matters: Faster confirmations boost user experience for DeFi apps
BNB Chain’s Layer 2 network opBNB just got significantly faster, completing a major upgrade that halves block production times and could transform how users interact with decentralized applications.
The Upgrade Details
The Fourier hard fork went live at 03:00 UTC on January 7, according to BNB Chain developers’ announcement on X. The upgrade successfully reduced opBNB’s block interval from 500 milliseconds to 250 milliseconds.
Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao confirmed the network completed the upgrade smoothly.
Node operators upgraded to:
- op-node v0.5.5
- op-geth v0.5.9
Technical Impact
This speed boost means faster transaction confirmations and lower latency for decentralized applications built on opBNB. The network serves as BNB Chain’s Layer 2 scaling solution, built using Optimism’s OP Stack to handle high-throughput activity while maintaining low fees.
The Fourier upgrade follows previous improvements:
- Fjord hard fork (September 2024) – adjusted Layer 1 fee calculations
- Wright upgrade (August 2024) – introduced gasless transaction support
Market Position
BNB Chain leads other Layer 1 networks with approximately 56 million monthly active addresses, according to Token Terminal data. This puts it well ahead of competitors like NEAR Protocol and Solana.
BNB’s price response remained measured post-upgrade:
| Timeframe | Price Change |
|---|---|
| 24 hours | +1% |
| 1 week | +6% |
| 2 weeks | +10% |
| 1 month | +2% |
The token trades around $917, though XRP recently overtook it in market cap rankings.
Competitive Landscape
The upgrade aligns with broader industry efforts. Ethereum activated its Fusaka hard fork in December 2025 to boost data availability and reduce Layer 2 costs. Vitalik Buterin noted that upgrades like PeerDAS and ZK-EVMs have reshaped Ethereum’s scalability model.
BNB Chain’s focus on execution speed at both Layer 1 and Layer 2 demonstrates its commitment to staying competitive in the evolving blockchain ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- opBNB now produces blocks twice as fast as before
- The upgrade specifically benefits latency-sensitive DeFi applications
- BNB Chain maintains its position as the busiest blockchain by active addresses
- Network improvements continue with regular hard fork upgrades
The Fourier upgrade represents a significant step forward in blockchain performance optimization, prioritizing user experience over raw throughput metrics.
