Key Takeaways
Ethereum gas fees spiked after WLFI’s launch. Does this show ETH’s ongoing fragility during major launches, giving Solana a clear edge?
Ethereum [ETH] kicked off September on shaky footing.
Technically, it slipped 1.8% to $4,215, printing its third lower low since the $4,900 all-time high. That meant in under ten days, ETH cut through support three times, leaving the $4.3k zone hanging by a thread.
The kicker?
This wasn’t a broad market dump. Bitcoin [BTC] actually closed +0.92%. That made the move an “ETH-driven” slide, further underscored by its average Gas Price spiking to 6.85 Gwei on Etherscan.
Source: Etherscan
Simply put, Ethereum’s fundamentals took a hit.
Ahead of World Liberty Financial’s [WLFI] launch, the chain lit up with $1.8 billion in 24 hour volume. The WLFI contract became the heaviest user of ETH gas, with 1.58 million Daily Transactions and over 550k Active Wallets.
In short, the network was slammed.
As a result, Ethereum gas blew from near-zero to triple digits, hitting 100+ Gwei. DEX swaps peaked at $145, and even basic transfers topped $10, the costliest on Ethereum since 2021.
Network congestion puts Ethereum at a disadvantage
Ethereum’s gas spike was a hard reality check.
Even after a monster Q3, up 77%, the network’s congestion showed Ethereum’s fragility during high-profile launches. Solana [SOL], by contrast, stayed bulletproof, with Average Transaction Fees at just $0.004.
The impact was visible in DEX flows.
According to DeFiLlama, Solana trailed Ethereum’s $3.823 billion Daily Volume by only $200 million, a gap of 5.5%.
Source: DeFiLlama
The debate reignites
In short, WLFI reignited the on-chain debate.
Ethereum’s network strain under heavy transaction volume once again exposed its structural limitations, giving Solana a clear cost advantage.
The key question: Will this divergence start reflecting in price action?
At present, SOL’s rally off its $154 base lagged ETH’s broader Q3 surge. ETH still led market flow, but with congestion mounting, that edge may not last.
