diff --git a/.VERSION b/.VERSION
index b9268da..abb1658 100644
--- a/.VERSION
+++ b/.VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.8.1
\ No newline at end of file
+1.9.0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 090d1f6..b2741c8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,18 @@
 
 ---
 
+[//]: # (START/v1.9.0)
+# v1.9.0
+
+## Features
+  * Enable the Operator to authenticate to 1Password using service accounts. {#160}
+
+## Fixes
+ * Update Operator to use SDK v1.34.1. {#185}
+ * Pass Kubernetes context down to SDK/Connect. {#199}
+
+---
+
 [//]: # (START/v1.8.1)
 # v1.8.1
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 97593ae..866f7c5 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ export MAIN_BRANCH ?= main
 # To re-generate a bundle for another specific version without changing the standard setup, you can:
 # - use the VERSION as arg of the bundle target (e.g make bundle VERSION=0.0.2)
 # - use environment variables to overwrite this value (e.g export VERSION=0.0.2)
-VERSION ?= 1.8.1
+VERSION ?= 1.9.0
 
 # CHANNELS define the bundle channels used in the bundle.
 # Add a new line here if you would like to change its default config. (E.g CHANNELS = "candidate,fast,stable")
diff --git a/version/version.go b/version/version.go
index 3557c0f..c46e83f 100644
--- a/version/version.go
+++ b/version/version.go
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 package version
 
 var (
-	OperatorVersion    = "1.8.1"
+	OperatorVersion    = "1.9.0"
 	OperatorSDKVersion = "1.34.1"
 )