# Layer 2 Related Articles

Ethereum's Narrative Is Being Rewritten: When L1 zkEVM Becomes the Endgame, When Will the Next Revolution Arrive?

Ethereum's narrative is undergoing a significant rewrite, shifting from a programmable ledger (2015-2020) to an L2-centric settlement layer (2021-2023), and now toward becoming a verifiable computer with L1 zkEVM as its endgame (2024 onward). The newly proposed Strawmap roadmap outlines an ambitious technical direction, targeting faster L1 confirmation, "Gigagas"-level throughput (10,000 TPS), quantum resistance, and native privacy. This transformation is driven by eight core technical workstreams: formalizing EVM specifications, replacing Keccak with ZK-friendly hashes, transitioning to Verkle Trees, enabling stateless clients, standardizing ZK proof systems, decoupling execution and consensus layers, implementing recursive proof aggregation, and ensuring developer toolchain compatibility. L1 zkEVM aims to integrate zero-knowledge proofs directly into Ethereum’s consensus layer, fundamentally upgrading its trust model. While full implementation may take until 2028-2029, this shift repositions Ethereum as the verifiable trust root for the entire Web3 ecosystem—enhancing scalability without compromising decentralization. The move also redefines the role of L2s, evolving them from scaling solutions to specialized execution environments. Ethereum’s structured, multi-year effort reflects its unique capacity for coordinated innovation and may ultimately establish it as a global settlement layer—fast, secure, and private.

marsbit03/07 07:12

Vitalik's Latest Reflection: Ethereum is Stuck in Path Dependency, It's Time to Start Anew from First Principles

Vitalik Buterin calls for the Ethereum community to break free from path dependency and rethink the ecosystem’s application layer from first principles. He emphasizes the importance of preserving core properties—censorship resistance, open source, privacy, and security (CROPS)—while encouraging more radical openness in how applications and external interfaces are designed. He suggests reevaluating technical assumptions, such as the future of browser plugins and mobile wallets in light of AI advancements, and proposes rebuilding the stack with privacy as a foundational priority. Examples include reimagining DeFi as generalized futures markets built on decentralized oracles, possibly verified via zk-SNARKs and LLMs, and reconsidering the role of L2s. Buterin also highlights cultural shifts, advocating for a break from conventional “professional” norms to unlock greater creativity. He urges developers to ignore existing ecosystem constraints, pretend current usage is zero, and imagine the most valuable applications as if starting from scratch today. In response to a comment, he clarifies that integration with traditional finance remains important for mainstream adoption, but the goal is to overcome internal path dependencies within Ethereum’s own application and wallet history—for instance, by exploring privacy-focused designs like Railgun or Aztec for payments without exposing addresses.

marsbit03/06 10:35

Paradex Signals Upcoming $DIME Token Generation Event

Paradex has announced the upcoming Token Generation Event (TGE) for its native token, $DIME, marking a new phase in its development. Built by the team behind Paradigm, which has processed over $1 trillion in trading volume, Paradex is a privacy-focused decentralized perpetual futures exchange. It has achieved over $250 billion in cumulative trading volume, $550 million in open interest, and serves more than 75,000 users. Key features include an off-chain order book with on-chain settlement via a zk-STARK-secured L2 appchain, zero trading fees for retail, encrypted position data, and a no auto-deleveraging risk model. $DIME will serve as the native gas token on Paradex Chain and is designed to align economic incentives between stakeholders. The token allocation includes 25.1% to core contributors, 25% to a community airdrop, 20% to Season 2 XP holders, and 21.6% for ongoing community incentives. A significant portion of team and investor tokens are subject to performance-based or time-vesting unlocks. Paradex plans to expand into spot markets, options, and real-world assets, positioning $DIME as central to its long-term growth and value accrual.

TheNewsCrypto03/03 09:32

The Dilemma Without a Moat: Why Couldn't Optimism Keep Base?

The article "The Dilemma of No Moat: Why Couldn't Optimism Keep Base?" discusses how Optimism's strategic decision to release the OP Stack under the permissive MIT license enabled widespread adoption, making it the dominant infrastructure for Ethereum scaling. However, this move also eliminated barriers to exit, allowing major chains like Base (built by Coinbase) to use the technology without obligation. Base grew to contribute over 96% of Optimism Collective's gas fees but eventually left the Superchain ecosystem, citing technical efficiency and autonomy. The promised native interoperability feature—the core value proposition for revenue sharing—never materialized, reducing incentives for Base to remain. The departure triggered a significant drop in OP's token value, highlighting a recurring pattern in open-source projects where value accrues to entities controlling distribution (like Coinbase) rather than those building the technology. The article contrasts Optimism's approach with Arbitrum's more restrictive, contract-based model and concludes that sustainable value in L2 networks lies not in forkable technology but in structural advantages like user bases and liquidity depth.

marsbit03/02 09:56

Arbitrum’s post-breakout predictions – Is $0.22 next for ARB’s price?

Arbitrum (ARB) surged by 11% in 24 hours, becoming one of the top performers among the top-100 cryptocurrencies. The price broke out from a key resistance level, bouncing from a demand zone around $0.0955. Analysts predict a potential rise toward $0.22, representing a 133% increase from the breakout point. Technical indicators like the MACD and RSI support bullish momentum, with the RSI indicating seller exhaustion. Additionally, network activity on Arbitrum has been strong, with a 21% increase in monthly trading volume, reaching $3.40 billion, and active addresses growing by 53% to 4.1 million. The network maintains a dominant position among Ethereum Layer 2 solutions, second only to Base Chain. If the current momentum continues, ARB could target the $0.22 supply zone.

ambcrypto02/28 05:02

Ethereum Network Takes The Crown As The Home Of On-Chain AI Agents

Ethereum is emerging as the dominant hub for on-chain AI agents, expanding beyond its DeFi roots. A recent report highlights that it hosts over 27,300 AI agents, significantly more than other major chains like Base and BNB Smart Chain. When combined with its Layer 2 networks, the Ethereum ecosystem supports the vast majority of all on-chain AI activity. Analysts note that AI agents thrive on Ethereum due to its deep liquidity, battle-tested infrastructure, and strong network effects. Bitmine Immersion is positioned to benefit from this trend, holding 4.4 million ETH and building staking network MAVAN to support Ethereum’s next phase and the growing ecosystem of AI-driven economic transactions.

bitcoinist02/27 20:02

Don't Worry, USDC and USDT's Public Chains Won't Shake Ethereum

marsbit02/27 12:23

Hot Interaction Collection | Robinhood Testnet Interaction; Earn Early Points on Canopy (February 27)

Hot Interaction Compilation: Robinhood Testnet Interaction; Canopy Early Points (February 27) Original by Odaily Planet Daily (@OdailyChina) Author: Asher (@Asher_0210) Robinhood Chain: An L2 focused on full-chain tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) On February 11, Robinhood announced the launch of the Robinhood Chain public testnet on Arbitrum. It will support tokenized real-world assets, including stocks, ETFs, private assets, and other financial instruments. The testnet allows developers to explore potential applications and prepare for the mainnet launch, promoting RWA tokenization and DeFi liquidity access. The chain will enable 24/7 trading, cross-chain bridging, and self-custody, supporting use cases like tokenized asset platforms, lending protocols, and perpetual exchanges. Interaction Tutorial: 1. Add the test network and claim test tokens. 2. Complete the testnet badge quest. 3. Mint NFTs on platforms like NFTs2Me to enrich interaction data (requires a small amount of ETH for gas fees). Canopy: An AI-powered L1 blockchain Canopy is currently in its testnet phase and has launched a points incentive program. In late January 2025, it announced a $1.2 million seed round led by Mechanism Capital and CitizenX, with participation from Primitive, GSR, and Side Door Ventures. Interaction Tutorial: 1. Visit the rewards page and connect your wallet and X account. 2. Complete four initial tasks and three daily tasks to earn points. 3. Fulfill additional requirements for more points. TBD: A Solana-based prediction market platform TBD focuses on poll-based prediction events and opened to users on February 25. On the same day, it announced a $3 million seed round co-led by CMT Digital and ParaFi. Interaction Tutorial: Currently, users can register via X or use TBD on Solana Seeker to receive up to $100 in risk-free betting credits.

Odaily星球日报02/27 02:37

How Are L1 Blockchain's Fee Revenues Gradually 'Eaten Away' by L2s, Proprietary AMMs, and Hyperliquid?

This analysis examines how Layer-1 (L1) blockchain transaction fee revenues are systematically eroded by innovations like Layer-2 solutions (L2), private AMMs, and platforms like Hyperliquid. Bitcoin’s fee revenue, driven by network congestion, has diminished over cycles due to optimizations like SegWit, batching, and Lightning Network, with recent activity like Ordinals providing only short-lived spikes. Ethereum’s DeFi and NFT booms once generated massive fees, but L2 rollups and the Dencun upgrade (EIP-4844) drastically reduced data costs, causing a 95% drop in L1 fee revenue as activity migrated off-chain. Solana’s revenue relies heavily on MEV and priority fees from memecoin trading. However, private AMMs and Hyperliquid’s off-chain order routing are capturing the most profitable transactions, compressing Solana’s MEV earnings by over 90% from their peak. Hyperliquid platform, while currently profitable from perpetual trading, faces future fee compression as it competes with traditional finance venues like CME, where fee structures are vastly more efficient. The report concludes that L1s struggle to sustainably capture value from fees due to structural dynamics in permissionless networks. Token valuations are increasingly decoupled from fee-based earnings, relying instead on staking yields, ETFs, narratives, and macro liquidity—making them vulnerable to sentiment shifts and speculative flows.

比推02/26 14:58

Uniswap (UNI) Price Jumps 15% as Governance Vote Expands Fee Switch Across Layer-2 Networks

Uniswap's UNI token surged nearly 15% following a governance proposal to expand its fee mechanism across eight blockchains. The proposal would enable the protocol to collect a portion of trading fees—diverting them from liquidity providers to the treasury—for activities like token buybacks and burns. Analysts estimate this could generate an additional $27 million in annual revenue, significantly boosting Uniswap’s current $34 million in fee-based income. While the move may enhance value for UNI holders through reduced token supply, it risks making the platform less competitive if liquidity providers seek lower-fee alternatives. The proposal requires two on-chain votes to implement.

TheNewsCrypto02/26 13:08