ETHEREUM
What is Ethereum?
Ethereum is an open-source decentralized platform that introduced the concept of smart contracts into the blockchain space. Through these smart contracts, developers using the Ethereum network are able to create their own decentralized apps and tokens.
Ethereum is an open-source decentralized platform that introduced the concept of smart contracts into the blockchain space. Through these smart contracts, developers using the Ethereum network are able to create their own decentralized apps and tokens.
Google Cloud and Polygon Labs partner for Ethereum scaling
Google Cloud will provide framework and developer tools to aid Polygon Labs’ Ethereum scaling protocol. The partnership aims to streamline developer integration for decentralized applications on Polygon.
Polygon and Google Cloud Partner for Ethereum Scaling Tools
Polygon Labs and Google Cloud have partnered to enhance the development of Ethereum scaling protocol's infrastructure and tools. Google Cloud's framework and developer tools will benefit Polygon's core protocols and simplify developer integration to build, launch and grow Web3 products and decentralized applications (DApps) on Polygon. The partnership is expected to advance Polygon's zero-knowledge development, resulting in faster and cheaper transactions. Polygon will use Google Cloud's Blockchain Node Engine to remove the need for Polygon developers to configure and run Polygon PoS nodes.
Circle Launches Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol for USDC
Circle has released a mainnet protocol allowing users to transfer USDC between Ethereum and Avalanche. The Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) eliminates the need for USDC bridges and aims to reduce fragmentation in the Web3 ecosystem.
Ethereum Network's Gas Fees Skyrocket Amid Memecoin Frenzy
Ethereum's gas fees have hit a new multi-month high due to the growing memecoin frenzy. While this has brought in more revenue for the network, it has also caused congestion and difficulty in processing transactions.
1inch Joins Ethereum's zkSync Era for Faster DeFi Transactions
1inch, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, has deployed its aggregation and limit order protocols on Ethereum's zkSync Era. The move is aimed at leveraging faster and cheaper transactions on the layer-2 scaling solution.
Ethereum staking volume surpasses withdrawal volume post-Shapella upgrade
After the successful Shapella upgrade, Ethereum's staked ETH volume has surpassed the withdrawal volume for the first time. According to data from Nansen, more ETH is currently being staked than withdrawn, with the staking volume reaching 124,000 ETH, while the withdrawal volume is at 64,800 ETH. The majority of validators are restaking their unlocked Ether, and early withdrawals are primarily staking rewards.
Ethereum Layer 2s See Surge in Popularity in Q1 2023
Alchemy's Q1 2023 report shows Ethereum layer 2 networks, including Optimism, Arbitrum and Polygon, saw a 44% increase in bridged crypto assets compared to Q4 2022, and a 518% increase compared to Q1 2022. The report suggests this growth may have been driven by successful airdrops from Optimism and Arbitrum. Additionally, the deployment of smart contracts related to layer 2s increased by 160% compared to Q1 2022, despite a 30% decrease from Q4 2022.
Ethereum Beacon Chain Sees Over $2 Billion Worth of ETH Withdrawn in Four Days
Over 1 million ETH, worth $2.1 billion, has been withdrawn from Ethereum's Beacon Chain within the first four days of the Shapella hard fork, with nearly 87% of active validators now able to withdraw their staked Ether. Despite initial community uncertainty about the impact of Shapella on ETH's price, the first four days have resulted in close to a 10% rise, with much of the withdrawn stake being reinvested in the Beacon Chain for interest compounding purposes.
BlockSec Launches Phalcon Fork for Private Chain Collaborative Testing
Blockchain security firm BlockSec has launched the Phalcon Fork toolkit for collaborative testing on private chains forked from the Ethereum mainnet. The toolkit provides more control for developers over testing, analysis, and debugging of transactions, while retaining services and states from the Ethereum mainnet. It also includes an integrated faucet for free fork network Ether (ETH) and Fork RPC for integration with Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible development frameworks.
Shapella Upgrade, Privacy Concerns, Hacks, and Financial Inclusion
The DeFi space had a busy week with the successful completion of the Shapella upgrade on Ethereum, concerns over privacy related to staking, a major DeFi hack, and a partnership between Fonbnk and Tanda to increase financial inclusion in Africa. The top 100 DeFi tokens had a bullish week, and Glassnode predicted only a small percentage of staked ETH would be withdrawn.