BNB Chain has flipped the switch on a major performance upgrade: the Fermi hardfork is live, and it has nearly doubled block production speed. Block time has fallen from roughly 0.75 seconds to about 0.45 seconds, meaning faster transaction confirmations and a snappier experience for apps and transfers — even during peak activity. But the upgrade is being billed as a foundation, not the finish line. Nina Rong, Executive Director of Growth at BNB Chain, told AMBCrypto that the team is already planning a “next‑generation trading chain” for 2026 aimed at near‑instant confirmations, massive sustained throughput, and a hybrid model that combines on‑chain and off‑chain compute. Rong added the focus will shift to improving user experience and giving builders more flexibility: the goal is Web2‑level UX while preserving decentralization, security, and developer choice, with a flexible migration path so projects can adopt new infrastructure on their own terms. The speed bump moves BNB Chain into the ranks of the fastest Layer‑1 smart‑contract chains, joining the top five with sub‑second block times, according to Chainspect — with Solana remaining the most direct rival on raw speed. Cost dynamics are still competitive: BNB Chain reduced its transaction cost to $0.005 in late 2025, though fees have since edged up to $0.0918, narrowing the gap with peers. Solana still offers some of the cheapest fees — roughly $0.0038 per transaction, about 95% cheaper than the current BNB figure, per Token Terminal. On the markets, Solana has picked up ground against BNB in early 2026 after BNB outperformed SOL by more than 33% in Q4 2025. The SOL/BNB ratio shows SOL up about 7% versus BNB so far in January 2026. Over the last two weeks SOL climbed from $124 to $145 (a 17% gain), while BNB rose from $857 to $940 (about a 10% gain), giving SOL holders slightly stronger recent returns, per TradingView. Sources: Chainspect, Token Terminal, TradingView, AMBCrypto. Disclaimer: This content is informational only and not investment advice. Crypto trading carries high risk; do your own research before making decisions. © 2026 AMBCrypto Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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