We assembled 10 new year’s predictions for blockchain tech trends and developments, from the experts. They might be right.
Ethereum’s Buterin Floats Prospect of Taking Some Layer-2 Functions Back on Main Chain
Vitalik Buterin, a member of the Ethereum Foundation’s executive board, once pushed “layer-2” networks as a way to provide faster and cheaper transactions. Now he’s got ideas for “enshrining” some of those functions on the main chain.
Logik: Tieshun ‘Pacman’ Roquerre ‘Knows His S–t’
The artist made an NFT of the Blur and Blast founder for our Most Influential package.
Rebecca Rose: ‘What Goes on Inside That Brain’ of Jesse Pollak’s?
The artist made an NFT of the Base leader for our Most Influential package.
BNB Chain’s OpBNB Developers Look to More Than Double Speed in New Roadmap
The roadmap paves the way for heightened performance for the layer-2 blockchain developed by BNB Chain.
Blockchain Startup Kinto Plans ‘First KYC’d’ Ethereum Layer-2 Network After Raising $5M
The Kinto network, built with the Optimism’s OP Stack, features native know-your-customer (KYC) checks and investor accreditation mechanism to help onboard regulated financial institutions.
Ethereum Layer-2 Booming: Will Gas Fees Drop Even In A Bull Market?
The adoption of Ethereum layer-2s is on the rise if Token Terminal data shared on November 6 is anything to go by. According to statistics from the blockchain analytics platform shared by Erik Smith, the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of 401 Financial, the average active addresses over the past three months has exceeded 10 million, a nearly 2X expansion from early 2023.
Related Reading: Can The ADA Price Climb Above $20 In The Bull Market? Analyst Provides Answers
Ethereum Layer-2s Finding More Adoption
Looking at the chart, Polygon, an Ethereum sidechain, remains the most popular. At the same time, Arbitrum and OP Mainnet, which are common layer-2s adopting the roll-up technology, are actively being used.
Even so, OP Mainnet’s share is gradually dropping. Base, a layer-2 backed by Coinbase, and StarkNet are also finding adoption, expanding their share over the past three months.
In crypto, active addresses refer to the number of unique wallet addresses (sending and receiving) that have interacted with the blockchain, in this case, Ethereum, over a given period.
An uptick or contraction in the number of active addresses can be used to measure sentiment and the level of uptake. In bear markets, active addresses tend to drop, only rising when bulls flow in, pointing to a possible scramble for arising opportunities.
The recent uptrend coincides with the rapid expansion of leading crypto prices. Ethereum (ETH) prices are inching closer to the $1,870 resistance level, with a breakout above this line a potential trigger for a leg up that might see the coin retest $2,100 and even register new 2023 highs.
Usually, rising crypto prices tend to revive demand as the number of active addresses and, in some instances, the total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi), and more.
What Will Happen To Gas Fees?
Ethereum is the world’s most active smart contract platform, stretching its dominance mainly because of its first-mover advantage. The blockchain anchors more DeFi, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and gaming activity. Deploying protocols, depending on their objectives, can either directly launch on the mainnet or layer-2s.
The mainnet is directly secured by validators, while layer-2 solutions depend on the mainnet for security but often re-route transactions off-chain. In this arrangement, more transactions can be processed cheaply and efficiently, relieving the mainnet.
Though the Ethereum base layer is secure, its peak transaction throughput remains relatively lower at around 15 TPS. This means during peak demand, gas fees tend to be higher, impacting user demand.
Still, Ethereum gas fees remain at a multi-year low at around 23 Gwei, according to trackers, as seen on the chart below. This is down from 240 Gwei recorded in February 2021 when crypto assets rapidly rose.
For now, whether gas fees will increase as the market recovers is yet to be seen. What’s evident is that as users opt for layer-2s, the mainnet will likely be relieved, keeping gas fee fluctuation low.
Ethereum layer 2s will continue to have diverse approaches to scaling — Vitalik Buterin
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin pens an analysis of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem, highlighting diverse approaches to scaling the smart contract blockchain.
Ethereum layer 2s will continue to have diverse approaches to scaling — Vitalik Buterin
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin pens an analysis of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem, highlighting diverse approaches to scaling the smart contract blockchain.
Starknet Foundation Showers STRK Tokens on Contributors, Though They’re Not Trading Yet
The foundation, formed in November 2022 after the initial developer StarkWare minted 10 billion STRK tokens, is now awarding early contributors to the Ethereum layer-2 network – even though they’re locked for trading at least until next April.
Ethereum’s New Low-Fee Regime May Put Its ‘Ultra Sound Money’ Thesis to Test
The Ethereum network’s revenue from fees dropped to its lowest level since April 2020 as speculative activity disappeared and users migrated to layer 2s, IntoTheBlock said.
Namesake of Ethereum’s ‘Danksharding’ Says ‘Data Availability’ Too Confusing a Term
The Ethereum Foundation’s Dankrad Feist says he thinks a lot of people are stumped by the term “data availability,” even as the concept gains momentum in blockchain tech circles.
Ethereum Handled Friend.tech Frenzy Without ‘Gas Fee’ Spike. Why That’s a Big Deal
Friend.tech, Crypto’s latest fad, didn’t drive up congestion and fees on Ethereum the way frenzies have in the past – possibly a sign that the blockchain’s efforts to scale by fostering supplemental “layer-2” networks, like Coinbase’s new Base, are bearing fruit.
The Protocol: Coinbase Blockchain’s Viral Use Case Puts Focus on Optimism’s Tech
The week in blockchain tech: Crypto-fueled social marketplace Friend.tech goes viral on Coinbase’s new Base blockchain, Shiba Inu community’s “Shibarium” network aims for fresh start, and Ethereum experts handicap the competition between leading technologies for layer-2 networks.
The Protocol: Blockchains Keep Launching, From Sei to Shibarium
In this week’s issue, we cover Coinbase’s launch of “Base,” a layer-2 network atop Ethereum, along with the crypto community’s reaction to PayPal’s new stablecoin and the brouhaha over Matter Labs’ use of Polygon-crafted open-source software. The Protocol is CoinDesk’s weekly newsletter devoted to blockchain and crypto technology.
The Protocol: Coinbase Launches Own Blockchain as Sleuths Scour PayPal’s Stablecoin Software
In this week’s issue, we cover Coinbase’s launch of “Base,” a layer-2 network atop Ethereum, along with the crypto community’s reaction to PayPal’s new stablecoin and the brouhaha over Matter Labs’ use of Polygon-crafted open-source software. The Protocol is CoinDesk’s weekly newsletter devoted to blockchain and crypto technology.
Coinbase Exec: ‘There’s No Playbook’ for Public Company Launching Blockchain
As Coinbase, the big U.S. crypto exchange, plans to launch its new Base blockchain on Wednesday, CoinDesk interviewed Jesse Pollak, who’s leading the effort. Here’s an excerpted version.
Mantle Introduces New Governing Body for Treasury Management
The new layer 2 network passed a governance vote that establishes the Mantle Economics Committee as well as introduces more liquid staking into the ecosystem by authorizing liquid staking protocol Mantle LSD and the allocation of 40,000 ETH from its treasury to stETH.
NFT-optimized Palm Network to become a Polygon ZK Supernet
The Ethereum sidechain will transition to a proof-of-stake network this August and become a full-fledged layer 2 based on Polygon’s zero-knowledge protocol in 2024.
Mantle’s MNT Token Outpaces Rival Layer 2 Blockchains Over Past 24 Hours
After launching its mainnet on Monday, Mantle’s utility and governance token has jumped roughly 4%, more than the native tokens of Arbitrum and Optimism over the past day.