BNB Holds Steady Ahead of Maxwell Hard Fork Upgrade

BNB traded in a narrow range near $649 on Sunday, showing resilience amid low volatility as the BNB Chain community prepares for the Maxwell hard fork scheduled for June 30. The highly anticipated upgrade aims to double the BNB Smart Chain's (BSC) throughput by reducing block times from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds—bringing BSC closer to high-speed rivals like Solana.

The Maxwell hard fork builds on the previous Lorentz upgrade, which cut block times from 3 seconds and improved network stability. This latest update introduces three key protocol proposals—BEP-524, BEP-563, and BEP-564—focusing on validator coordination and consensus mechanics. These include extending validator block proposal turns to 16 blocks and doubling the epoch length to 1,000 blocks, enhancing performance under faster conditions.

To prevent network congestion and control state growth, the per-block gas limit will be halved from 70 million to 35 million. The upgrade also improves network efficiency with faster block propagation—targeting 400 milliseconds—and enhanced synchronization for lagging nodes.

Named after physicist James Clerk Maxwell, the upgrade balances speed and stability, boosting BNB Chain’s appeal across DeFi, GameFi, and enterprise blockchain sectors. Improved block finality and validator participation could attract more developers and users.

From June 28 to 29, BNB climbed 0.61% from $646.29 to $650.25, with notable buying interest above $648. The price saw key support at $647.11 and faced resistance near $651. Volume spikes at 07:00 and 09:00 UTC confirmed strong demand. By 21:24 UTC, BNB had retreated slightly to $648.37, still holding firm ahead of the pivotal upgrade.