Ethereum’s performance and its role in the broader market.
Ethereum's Performance and Its Role in the Broader Market
Overview: Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, continues to be a cornerstone of the blockchain ecosystem. Its performance in December 2024 reflects resilience and innovation, positioning it as a critical player in decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Ethereum's Performance in 2024
Price Trends:
Start of 2024: Ethereum began the year trading around $1,800, recovering from the 2022–2023 bear market.
Mid-Year Growth: By mid-2024, Ethereum surged to approximately $2,500–$2,800, driven by:
Increased adoption of Layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism.
Enhanced activity in DeFi platforms and NFT marketplaces.
December 2024: Ethereum reached $3,333, with its price influenced by:
Broader crypto market recovery.
Sustained demand for decentralized applications (dApps) and enterprise blockchain solutions.
Ecosystem Developments:
Significant upgrades, such as improvements in staking yields post-Ethereum 2.0, enhanced network efficiency and attracted more validators.
Growing use of Ethereum-based rollups for scalability, leading to lower transaction costs.
Ethereum's Role in the Broader Market
Decentralized Finance (DeFi):
Ethereum remains the dominant platform for DeFi applications, accounting for over 60% of total value locked (TVL) in DeFi protocols.
Key projects, such as Uniswap, MakerDAO, and Aave, continue to build on Ethereum, offering financial services without intermediaries.
Ethereum's programmability enables the rapid deployment of innovative financial products.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs):
Although NFT activity has declined since its 2021 peak, Ethereum remains the leading platform for NFTs, hosting marketplaces like OpenSea and Blur.
Artists, brands, and gaming platforms continue to use Ethereum to mint, trade, and integrate NFTs into their ecosystems.
Enterprise Blockchain Solutions:
Corporations and governments increasingly explore Ethereum for tokenization of assets, supply chain management, and digital identity solutions.
The adoption of Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility by other chains enhances Ethereum's role as the standard for smart contracts.
Layer-2 Solutions and Scalability:
Ethereum's Layer-2 rollups, such as zkSync and StarkNet, address scalability challenges, allowing for faster and cheaper transactions.
These solutions broaden Ethereum’s appeal for gaming, micropayments, and high-frequency transactions.
Interoperability:
Ethereum's compatibility with other blockchains through bridges fosters a multi-chain ecosystem, enabling seamless asset transfers and cross-chain applications.
Challenges for Ethereum
Scalability and Fees:
Despite advancements, high gas fees during network congestion remain a concern, particularly for retail users.
Competing blockchains, such as Solana and Binance Smart Chain, offer lower fees and faster transaction speeds.
Regulatory Risks:
As Ethereum's ecosystem encompasses DeFi and NFTs, it faces scrutiny from regulators globally, especially concerning securities laws and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance.
Competition:
Rivals like Solana, Cardano, and Avalanche are attracting developers and users with more scalable and cost-effective solutions.
Future Prospects
Short-Term Outlook:
Continued adoption of Layer-2 solutions will reduce transaction costs and improve user experience, sustaining Ethereum’s growth.
Upgrades focusing on privacy and security will strengthen Ethereum’s position in DeFi and enterprise use cases.
Mid-Term Outlook:
Ethereum's role in Web3 infrastructure will expand as decentralized applications grow in popularity.
The ecosystem’s reliance on staking for network security will incentivize more participation, stabilizing the network further.
Long-Term Outlook:
As blockchain adoption increases globally, Ethereum is poised to benefit as the leading smart contract platform.
Integration with artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and other emerging technologies will unlock new use cases.
Conclusion
Ethereum continues to be the backbone of decentralized applications, with a robust performance in 2024 highlighting its significance in the blockchain space. Its innovations in scalability, DeFi, and enterprise applications reinforce its status as a leader in the broader cryptocurrency market. While challenges such as competition and regulatory hurdles persist, Ethereum’s adaptability and active development community position it well for sustained growth.
Ethereum developers launch “pump the gas” campaign to raise gas limit
Core Ethereum developers have
Ethereum developers launch “pump the gas” campaign to raise gas limit
Core Ethereum developers have started the “pump the gas” campaign to raise the blockchain’s gas limit from 30 million to 40 million.
The initiative aims to reduce transaction fees on its primary layer by 15% to 33%, as announced on March 20. The idea stems from Eric Connor, a key Ethereum developer, and Mariano Conti, former head of smart contracts at MakerDAO, via a newly established website for the initiative. Their objective is to accommodate a 33% greater transaction volume daily on Ethereum, potentially reducing layer-1 transaction fees significantly.
Today, @nanexcool and I are launching an effort to help raise the Ethereum gas limit from 30mn to 40mn
Bitget has unveiled a big update for its BGB token, with plans for ongoing quarterly repurchases and burns.Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget has announced updates to its Bitget Token Bitget Token
BGB
13.58%
Bitget Token whitepaper, introducing new changes to its tokenomics.
According to a Friday announcement, Bitget will burn 800 million BGB tokens held by the core team, representing 40% of the total token supply. This burn will reduce the overall BGB supply to 1.2 billion tokens, with 100% of the remaining tokens in circulation.
Bitget plans to release on-chain records of the burn, the press release reads. Amid the news, BGB’s price soared 23% to $8.36, bringing the token’s market capitalization to $11.7 billion.
In addition to the initial burn, Bitget has committed to burning BGB every quarter by destroying 20% of its profits, which come from trading fees across Bitget’s services. The repurchased tokens will be sent to a burn address, the exchange said, promising to share the details of the burn after each quarterly event.
The update comes a day after Bitget announced it will merge its Bitget Wallet Token with BGB to create one ecosystem token for both the Bitget exchange and Bitget Wallet. Starting in 2025, the combined token will expand into off-chain payfi scenarios, allowing payments in places like restaurants, travel, fuel, and shopping, offering users a one-stop web3 and consumption service.
In addition, the company also announced on Dec. 27 an updated roadmap for the Bitget Wallet, in which BGB will become the primary token for multi-chain gas fee payments via its GetGase feature, set to being in January 2025.$BGB
Bitget Unveils Over $5 Billion Worth of BGB Token Burn in New Whitepaper
Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has released a new whitepaper for its native token, Bitget Token (BGB). The update introduces an unprecedented initiative to burn 800 million BGB tokens—valued at over $5 billion based on current market prices—alongside plans to expand the token’s utility. This move shows Bitget’s commitment to enforcing a deflationary supply model for BGB, accelerating its utility.
The new whitepaper introduces an ambitious token burn plan, starting with the immediate and permanent burn of 800 million $BGB – 40% of the total supply – reducing the circulating supply to 1.2 billion. Beginning in 2025, Bitget will initiate quarterly burns by allocating 20% of profits from Bitget Exchange and Bitget Wallet, including revenues from spot, futures, and NFT transactions, to buy back and burn BGB. All burn activities will be recorded on-chain, ensuring transparency and accountability to the community.
Bitget recently announced the merger of Bitget Token (BGB) and Bitget Wallet Token (BWB). Following this merger, $BGB will serve as the unified token for Bitget’s centralized and decentralized ecosystems. Currently, BGB offers various benefits to its holders, including fee discounts, VIP privileges, and access to token farming through Launchpool. Looking ahead, Bitget plans to expand BGB’s utility within on-chain ecosystems, positioning it as a core asset for staking, liquidity provision, and airdrop eligibility. Additionally, BGB will power Bitget Wallet services, such as multi-chain gas fee payments, while extending its use cases to everyday PayFi scenarios.
In the competitive landscape of crypto exchanges, Bitget has distinguished itself as the fastest-growing centralized exchange (CEX) in recent years. This achievement is conquered by a team of 1,600 professionals across 60+ countries, a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing fiat, spot, margin, and futures trading, and cutting-edge technology ensuring a seamless trading experience. Bitget further strengthens user confidence with advanced security measures, including a $600M Protection Fund and a monthly updated Proof-of-Reserve report. Its proactive compliance strategy, and acquisition of licenses in multiple jurisdictions, strengthen its position as the world’s leading CEX.
$BGB has shown notable performance in 2024, with its market capitalization increasing by over 1000% in the past year and over 100-fold since its inception. This strong growth is backed by a proven track record of the token’s strong use cases and the success of Bitget’s innovative ecosystem.
The release of the updated $BGB whitepaper marks an important moment in Bitget’s journey. By reducing supply, enhancing utility, and expanding real-world applications, BGB is bound to strengthen more functionalities and products in the Bitget ecosystem driving sustainable growth and long-term value for holders.