Key Takeaways

• The Maxwell upgrade doubles transaction speed, enabling faster confirmations for users and real-time Web3 applications.
• Transactions become irreversible more quickly, boosting security and efficiency for DeFi and DEXs.
• It improves validator communication with BEP-563 and BEP-564, enhancing network stability and synchronization in a sub-second environment.
• It halves gas limit and optimizes network performance by reducing block congestion while preserving transaction throughput.

BNB Chain, one of the most widely used blockchain networks in the world, has just completed its most significant performance upgrade yet: the Maxwell Hard Fork, implemented on June 30, 2025. 

This upgrade represents a bold step toward solving some of blockchain’s biggest challenges, namely, latency, throughput, and network synchronization, while solidifying BNB Chain’s position as a leader in the high-performance, EVM-compatible blockchain space.

This article explains what the Maxwell upgrade is, why it matters, how it works under the hood, and what it means for users, developers, and validators going forward.

What Is the Maxwell Upgrade?

The Maxwell Hard Fork is a protocol-level upgrade on BNB Smart Chain (BSC), designed to improve the speed, efficiency, and reliability of the network.

It follows a series of 2025 upgrades including Pascal (March) and Lorentz (April) and continues the trend of optimizing the chain for real-world applications, particularly Decentralized Finance (DeFi), GameFi, and Real-Time Web3 dApps.

The centerpiece of Maxwell is the dramatic reduction of block time from approximately 1.5 seconds to just 0.75 seconds, a change that significantly accelerates transaction confirmation and finality.

Core Enhancements in the Maxwell Upgrade

Here are the key improvements delivered through the Maxwell hard fork:

1. Block Time Cut in Half (~0.75s)

Previously, BNB Chain produced blocks every 1.5 seconds. With the Maxwell upgrade, that interval has been reduced to 0.75 seconds, doubling the speed of block production. This translates into faster transaction confirmation and improved responsiveness for users and smart contracts.

2. Reduced Finality Time (~1.875s)

The finality time, the time it takes for a transaction to be irreversibly confirmed, is now approximately 1.875 seconds, down from roughly 3.75 seconds. For financial applications and decentralized exchanges, this is a critical improvement, reducing the risk of transaction reversals and increasing trading speed.

3. Optimized Validator Messaging (BEP-563 & BEP-564)

Two new BNB Evolution Proposals (BEPs) improve how validator nodes communicate with each other:

• BEP-563 improves how votes and consensus messages are sent, reducing latency and missed communications.
• BEP-564 introduces GetBlocksByRangeMsg and RangeBlocksMsg, which help nodes synchronize more quickly and accurately, particularly when recovering or joining the network.

These messaging improvements are especially important in a sub-second block time environment, where even small delays can cause chain forks or voting inconsistencies.

4. Gas Limit Reduced (70M → 35M)

The gas limit per block has been reduced from 70 million to 35 million, helping to prevent congestion while maintaining smooth throughput. This change ensures that each block processes a manageable number of transactions, keeping the network performant even during spikes in activity.

5. Consensus Parameter Adjustments

Other adjustments include:

• Epoch size doubled from 500 to 1,000 blocks (to match the faster block times)
• Turn length doubled from 8 to 16 blocks, providing more time for validators to propose blocks and reach consensus.

These changes align with the reduced block time and support smoother block production and finality.

Which BEPs Powered the Maxwell Upgrade

Let’s break down the technical proposals that made the Maxwell upgrade possible:

BEP-524 – Sub-Second Block Time

This proposal lays out the technical foundation for reducing the block interval to 0.75 seconds. It modifies consensus timing parameters and block production rules to enable a faster cadence without sacrificing security or decentralization.

BEP-563 – Reliable Vote Messaging

BEP-563 improves the reliability of validator vote propagation. It introduces a parallel gossip protocol that ensures messages are broadcast more quickly and reliably, critical when working within tight sub-second windows.

BEP-564 – Efficient Block Syncing

BEP-564 enhances how nodes fetch missing blocks. With the introduction of the RangeBlocksMsg structure, a validator can now request and receive multiple blocks in a single message, significantly speeding up synchronization and reducing downtime.

Real-World Impact: DEX Volume Hits $166 Billion

The impact of Maxwell was almost immediate.

Reportedly, the 30-day DEX volume on BNB Chain soared to a record $166 billion in June 2025. PancakeSwap, the largest DEX on the BNB Chain, handled over $139 billion of that volume.

While June’s volume growth can’t be fully attributed to the Maxwell upgrade, the hard fork’s improvements, especially faster transaction confirmation, are expected to further boost BNB Chain’s appeal to high-frequency traders, arbitrage bots, and DeFi users who prioritize speed and reliability

What Developers & Validators Need to Do

For developers and node operators, Maxwell introduces some operational considerations:

• Node software updates: Validators must upgrade to the latest BNB Chain client that supports Maxwell. Failure to do so may result in sync issues or the node being ejected from consensus.
• Smart contract audits: Developers should audit their applications for timing-dependent logic, especially where assumptions are made about block intervals, transaction propagation, or finality.
• Performance testing: With faster blocks and reduced gas limits, applications may see subtle shifts in execution timing. Teams are encouraged to run load tests to identify any race conditions or bottlenecks.

BNB Gains Post-Maxwell & Nano Labs Eyes $1B Stake

After the Maxwell upgrade, the BNB token showed modest but noticeable gains, rising from around $606 to approximately $655. This price movement reflects increasing investor confidence in BNB Chain’s ability to scale while maintaining low fees and decentralization.

Reflecting this growing preference for BNB Chain as a scalable and efficient ecosystem, Nano Labs Ltd, a leading Chinese Web3 infrastructure company, has entered into a $500 million convertible note agreement with multiple investors. The notes, set to mature in 360 days without interest, can be converted into Class A ordinary shares at an initial price of $20.

As part of its strategic roadmap, Nano Labs plans to acquire up to $1 billion in Binance Coin (BNB) through this and future private placements, targeting a 5% to 10% stake in BNB’s total supply. The move underscores the firm’s ambition to expand its digital asset exposure while continuing development of advanced computing technologies. Closing remains subject to standard conditions.