Deep Dive
1. Mainnet v4.8.0 Proposal (20 June 2025)
Overview: This upgrade aimed to align TRON with Ethereum’s Cancun upgrade (EIP-4844) and strengthen consensus security.
The proposal introduced new virtual machine instructions for cross-chain compatibility and refined how transactions are verified. Developers can now build cross-chain apps more easily, while validators benefit from attack-resistant consensus logic.
What this means: This is bullish for TRX because it enhances TRON’s role in multi-chain ecosystems and improves network reliability. Users might see faster cross-chain swaps and reduced smart contract risks.
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2. Energy Fee Reduction (29 August 2025)
Overview: TRON slashed energy fees by 60% after a unanimous community vote, with quarterly adjustments based on usage.
The update made DeFi interactions and stablecoin transfers cheaper, particularly benefiting high-volume users. Energy (used for smart contracts) now costs 60% less, while voting rewards dropped 20% to balance inflation.
What this means: This is neutral for TRX long-term – lower fees attract developers, but reduced staking yields might temporarily slow TRX accumulation. Watch for changes in daily active addresses post-update.
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3. TRC-404 Standard (17 September 2025)
Overview: TRC-404 combines TRC-20 fungibility with TRC-721 NFT uniqueness, enabling shared ownership of digital assets.
This experimental standard lets users fractionally own NFTs (e.g., rare in-game items), improving liquidity. It addresses NFT market fragmentation by allowing partial trades without splitting assets.
What this means: This is bullish for TRX because it positions TRON as an innovator in NFT utility. Artists and gamers could flock to the network for flexible ownership models.
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4. SunPerp Integration (24 September 2025)
Overview: TRON reduced weekly fees to 23.9M TRX (~$8M) – a multi-month low – to support SunPerp, a perpetuals DEX.
The codebase now handles high-frequency order matching with sub-second finality, critical for derivatives trading. Node operators prioritized gas optimizations to sustain sub-$0.01 average fees.
What this means: This is bullish for TRX as it expands TRON’s use cases beyond stablecoins. Traders might migrate from CEXs if SunPerp gains traction.
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Conclusion
TRON’s 2025 updates emphasize cross-chain readiness (v4.8.0), cost efficiency (fee cuts), and niche DeFi innovation (TRC-404/SunPerp). While bullish for adoption, the network must balance developer incentives with tokenomics as staking rewards decline.
Will TRON’s hybrid NFT standard and low-fee derivatives attract enough volume to offset reduced validator payouts?