Ethereum researchers want to reduce transaction finality from roughly 16 minutes to 4 minutes, according to the Decoupled Consensus proposal filed this week. The proposal states that the change could cut the capital tied up in cross-chain transfers by 75%.
The Decoupled Consensus proposal would separate validator responsibilities and strengthen defenses against blockchain reorganizations. It would also prepare Ethereum for future quantum-resistant cryptography.
The proposal is described as an ambitious redesign and remains an incomplete draft.