While Ethereum staking is on the rise, it brings with it the challenge of increased centralization. Even Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin acknowledges this as a core issue, suggesting that a comprehensive solution may be decades away.
The growth in Ethereum staking has surged since the Merge update.
But this has led to two issues: the network becoming more centralized and people earning less from staking.
The team at JPMorgan, headed by top executive Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, cautioned investors about these rising concerns related to Ethereum’s increasing centralization.
The leading five easy-staying services—Lido, Coinbase, Figment, Binance, and Kraken—hold more than half of all staked Ethereum.
According to Dune Analytics, over 31% of all ETH staked belong to the Lido pool.
While people in the crypto world have viewed Lido as a better option than centralized services like Coinbase or Binance, the reality is different.
Even decentralized platforms like Lido still have a lot of control concentrated in a few hands. For example, one Lido node operator alone manages over 7,000 sets of validators, holding 230,000 Ether.
This concentration of power occurs because Lido’s decision-making is controlled by a small number of wallet addresses in their decentralized organization, known as a DAO.
While there was a general market proposal to limit each staking service to no more than 22%, Lido’s DAO voted against it in June 2023. In general, a DAO is a self-governing platform, but in this case, its decision to not limit its Ether staking is making the entire Ethereum ecosystem more centralized and, thus, more vulnerable.
Having too much control in one place poses a risk to the Ethereum network. A small group of major stakeholders or node operators could become a weak point in the system, or even collaborate to gain unfair advantages.
In addition to concerns about centralization, the Ethereum network has also seen staking yields go down since the big updates like the Merge and Shanghai.
The average block rewards have dropped from 4.3% to 3.5%, and overall staking yields have gone from 7.3% to around 5.5%.
It’s not just JPMorgan ringing the alarm bells about Ethereum’s growing centralization after the Merge, which was launched on September 15, 2022. This update is viewed as a stumbling block to Ethereum’s goal of being fully decentralized, and it has also led to reduced earnings from staking.
Even Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, acknowledges the issue. In September 2023, he admitted that tackling the problem of node centralization in Ethereum is a big challenge, and finding an ideal solution could take up to two more decades.
Simplify node operations on Ethereum
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin says that making it simpler and less expensive to operate nodes is crucial for addressing the Ethereum network’s centralization issue.
Right now, most of the nearly 6,000 active Ethereum nodes are hosted by centralized services. The top service used it Amazon Web Services, posing a vulnerability for the network.
While speaking at Korea Blockchain Week, Buterin identified six critical challenges to overcome to ensure Ethereum stays decentralized over time.
One major aspect is making it technically easier for people to operate nodes. “Statelessness is a key technology to make this possible,” he added.
As of now, running a node requires hundreds of gigabytes of data storage.
With stateless clients, however, you could operate a node without needing almost any storage space at all. This statelessness means eliminating the need for centralized services to verify network activities.
According to the Ethereum Foundation, true decentralization can only happen when running an Ethereum node becomes accessible and affordable.
Buterin emphasized that statelessness is a significant part of Ethereum’s future plans. Major progress towards this goal is expected in upcoming phases called “The Verge” and “The Purge.”
He mentioned that the long-term vision is to have fully verified Ethereum nodes that are so streamlined you could literally run one on your phone.
While multiple Ethereum staking services are pledging to limit their market share to 22%, Lido Finance takes a different path, sparking debates on centralisation and community values.
The top five companies that offer ether staking pools for individuals have stated that they won’t control more than 22% of all ETH currently staked.
This is a way to make sure that no single company has too much power over the Ethereum network, keeping it open and fair for everyone.
Companies like Rocket Pool, StakeWise, Stader Labs, and Diva Staking are either already following this rule or planning to do so, says Superphiz, a key Ethereum developer.
Puffer Finance, another such company, has also said they’ll stick to this limit.
Lido doesn’t obey the 22% of ether staked limit
Why 22%?
Superphiz explains that to make any big changes to the Ethereum network, 66% of the participants have to agree.
By setting a limit of 22%, it ensures that at least four big companies would have to work together to push through any major updates. This makes the network safer and more secure.
When talking about blockchain transactions, the finality of a transaction is the moment when transactions are locked in place and can’t be changed.
Superphiz, a leading Ethereum developer, brought up an important question last May:
Would a company that helps people stake Ethereum be willing to put the network’s well-being over its own profits?
Lido voted by a 99.81% majority not to self-limit. They have expressed an intention to control the majority of validators on the beacon chain.https://t.co/T16rTdM3gm
Interestingly, Lido Finance, the biggest company of this kind, decided not to follow the 22% self-limit rule. Almost all of their members (99.81%, to be exact) voted against it back in June.
Superphiz mentioned in a post at the end of August that Lido aims to control most of the deciding power in the Ethereum network.
To give you an idea of how big Lido is, they control 32.4% of all Ethereum that’s currently being staked.
That’s a big deal, especially when you consider that the next largest, Coinbase, only has an 8.7% share, according to data from Dune Analytics.
Well, the Ethereum community has different opinions on that.
One expert named Mippo commented at the end of August that the 22% self-limit rule isn’t really about staying true to Ethereum’s ideals, which are about open access and innovation for everyone.
Mippo thinks that those advocating for the self-limit would probably not stick to it if they were in the dominant position like Lido Finance. In his view, everyone is just acting in their own best interest.
Yeah because they have way less market share than that now… easy to chirp from the cheap seats.
This has nothing to do with “Ethereum alignment.” None of these teams would self limit were they in Lido’s place.
Everyone is doing the economically selfish and rational thing…
Another person argued that user-friendly services shouldn’t be criticised as greedy.
On the flip side, some people are really concerned that a few big companies could end up controlling too much of the Ethereum network. They see Lido’s large market share as a problem, even calling it “selfish and disgusting.”
Honestly really disgusting and selfish
Centralization will lead to greater problems, this is a full 3 steps backward for ethereum
Lido: "We thought real hard about this for 0.2 seconds and decided it is definitely worth risking sending the entire network to zero for a fraction of a percent more yield"
Lido ticks all the boxes when it comes to staking services.
They support multiple types of digital money and make it super easy for anyone to use their platform.
Their fees are fair, and they even offer nice rewards if you refer people to their service. On top of that, they make a lot of different cryptocurrencies more available for trading and are backed by some big names in the decentralised finance world.
What’s cool is that when you stake your digital tokens with Lido, you get back tokens that are tied to the value of what you staked. You can then use these for more ways to earn money in the DeFi world.
Lido has become a top pick for people looking to stake their digital assets thanks to some standout features.
First off, staking is a breeze; you can earn daily rewards by simply staking your tokens, and there’s no minimum amount you need to start.
Want to make even more from your tokens?
Lido allows you to use them for things like loans, yield farming, and other money-making activities. This can give your earnings a nice boost.
They also have their own digital token, called LDO, that you can trade on popular exchanges like SushiSwap, Uniswap, and many more.
When it comes to security, you can rest assured. Lido’s smart contracts have been thoroughly checked by reputable firms like Quantstamp and Sigma Prime.
Although Lido doesn’t offer its own wallet, you can still use popular ones like TrustWallet and MetaMask to manage your assets.
NYU law professors Richard Epstein and Max Raskin published a paper to explain the potential hazards of central bank digital currencies, highlighting the risk of overstepping governmental boundaries and the importance of maintaining the ‘separation of money and state’.
Central banks worldwide are swiftly progressing with their explorations in creating digital currencies.
Numerous examples, such as the recent announcement of a successful prototype by the New York Federal Reserve or the Bank of England’s achievement in the subsequent phase of its digital pound trial, indicate that over 130 nations globally are considering the idea of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).
The reasoning behind this is twofold.
Firstly, central banks can position themselves as protectors of consumers and innovators in cost-saving technologies by eliminating the role of private banking intermediaries.
Secondly, they can acquire an additional mechanism for policymaking.
However, the proposition of excluding these intermediaries raises an important question of who would be responsible for the other end of the financial transactions.
The inevitable answer is a far-reaching and intrusive government capable of monitoring every single expenditure.
Digital cash?
Max Raskin, an adjunct professor of law at New York University and a fellow at the school’s Institute for Judicial Administration, and Richard Epstein, a law professor at New York University, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago, are exploring this topic in a paper called “A Wall of Separation Between Money and State: Policy and Philosophy for the Era of Cryptocurrency,“ published in The Brown Journal of World Affairs.
Their argument suggests that a central bank, for instance, the Bank of England, would issue a “digital pound,” which would be a direct claim on the central bank, much like current cash is.
This process would involve creating the necessary infrastructure for individuals to store digital pounds in digital wallets and facilitate interactions with retailers and other users.
Contrasting current practices where central banks such as the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England do not offer accounts to direct depositors, the proposed model would eliminate the costly private banking system that presently stands between the central bank and the accounts held by businesses and individuals.
At a glance, it seems that CBDCs might cut unnecessary costs.
However, these apparent efficiency benefits can be deceptive and hazardous.
Intermediaries function in thousands of markets, with representatives, aggregators, and monitors in almost every significant business line. These participants can’t be easily deemed obsolete.
Intermediaries often provide value as they are motivated to offer more than the bare minimum to stand out – such as new banking products and services.
The variety of services banks can offer due to competitive pressures that ultimately benefit consumers. Restricting these forces can hamper the market economy.
CBDC implementation can be risky
The implementation of CBDCs is not without risks.
The idea of providing extensive power and confidential information to a faceless government entity can be alarming. The system can use that data against you in numerous ways.
By removing the private banking intermediaries, CBDCs would eliminate a crucial barrier that currently safeguards individuals and firms from government intrusion and overstepping.
The use of cash and bearer instruments is currently untraceable by the central government.
However, the use of digital cash would be.
It’s clear that even those who decide to stick with private bankers will still be scrutinised by the state, which holds control over all transactions.
Moreover, these digital funds would empower central banks to direct personal loans and mortgages to specific private parties with minor competition, raising concerns around state industrial policies. It’s not hard to imagine potential nightmare scenarios, yet they are difficult to avert.
The question remains: can we trust thousands of new banker-bureaucrats to perform any better?
Can we trust banks?
The Bank of England, in its digital pound argument, emphasised the British government’s commitment to fighting climate change, stating that the digital pound would be designed with this objective in mind.
Why should a topic as intricate and contentious as climate change be regulated through the financial system?
Similarly, U.S. financial regulators have started to wade into political issues like climate change.
If such explicit political objectives are considered, it is not a stretch to imagine a government-run bank using its powers to favour certain energy producers and punish others through their bank accounts.
The power to impact credits and debits must be a feature of the central banks’ proposed code, which introduces a covert system of industrial policy.
If CBDCs become a reality, officially favoured energy sources like solar and wind power could witness their bank accounts receiving subsidies without the need to attract private investors or undergo the scrutiny of the private banking system.
Bank accounts could become vulnerable to political manipulations, bureaucracies, or even disenfranchisement overnight with limited recourse.
Furthermore, these CBDC initiatives in the U.S. were originally proposed in the context of directly providing pandemic stimulus to the economy. However, the evidence is overwhelming that this hasty system of government payments was incredibly wasteful.
Moreover, central banks could implement countercyclical monetary policies, such as providing cash boosts to individuals in specific regions or sectors, which again becomes a political football.
Money and new technologies
We should undoubtedly strive to leverage new technologies, but only when implemented correctly. According to the paper in the Brown Journal of World Affairs, “Money should be a neutral unit of measurement, like inches or kilograms.”
This concept, referred to as the “separation of money and state,” aims to stabilise all currencies over time, minimising the need for private parties to design complex and costly mechanisms like adjustable-rate mortgages to handle financial instability.
For instance, Bitcoin has a predetermined supply of no more than 21 million units, not governed by any individual institution but rather by the network’s consensus mechanism.
This feature provides a robust defence against value dilution that no government-centric system could hope to match.
This fixed system could offer additional institutional support for developing countries seeking modernisation.
Countries with a history of mismanaging their monetary systems could benefit from the discipline that comes with certain forms of digital currency.
For instance, a central bank like Zimbabwe‘s or Argentina’s, plagued with mismanagement, could adopt an innovative form of dollarisation using Bitcoin or another form of programmed cryptocurrency.
Are you planning on buying a car with Bitcoin? Cryptocurrency is now used to buy real-world assets such as cars and even real estate. While this payment method isn’t accepted worldwide, more and more services are starting to consider it. And car dealerships are no exception.
In 2021, Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, announced that it would accept Dogecoin as payment for Tesla. Meanwhile, the offer is no longer standing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use Bitcoin to buy a car in 2023.
Is it legal to buy a car with Bitcoin?
Yes, it is indeed legal to purchase a car using Bitcoin. You can also use other popular cryptocurrencies, such as Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. However, similar to any other online transaction, it is important to exercise caution and adopt certain safe practices.
The first thing you need is to find a reputable car dealership that accepts Bitcoin as a payment method.
You can do this by checking out reviews on third-party consumer forums to discover the best places to purchase cars with cryptocurrencies. Platforms such as Crypto Emporium and BitCars have supported crypto payments for some years now and have excellent reputations in the market.
One of the advantages of using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin for transactions is that they are generally secure. This means that you do not need to disclose any personal financial information, as transactions take place directly between two digital wallets. This method of payment contributes to your safety and security during the transaction.
While there is no car manufacturer that accepts cryptocurrency throughout their distribution network as a whole, there are specific car dealerships that have implemented cryptocurrency payment services to serve customers who wish to complete their purchases using digital assets.
In the end, it’s up to you to find a platform that allows crypto payments for products such as cars. Some of the most popular options for such purchases include:
One of the most popular payment services is BitPay, which is already used by some Lamborghini and BMW dealerships thought Europe, the UK and the USA.
Finding out if a car dealership accepts Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies is simple. The quickest way is to call local dealerships and ask. Salespeople might need to check with management, but they should give you an answer soon.
You can also look at car dealership websites to see if they accept Bitcoin. However, these sites mainly focus on selling cars and might not clearly mention payment methods, so it could be a bit frustrating unless the dealership prominently displays this option.
How to buy a car with Bitcoin (or any other cryptocurrency)
Buying a car with cryptocurrency can be done from a dealer that accepts it or from a private seller who is comfortable with crypto. Usually, dealing with a dealer is easier. Here’s a simplified plan:
Find out which dealerships accept cryptocurrency.
Research different cryptocurrency exchange apps and learn how they work. The dealer might prefer a certain app like BitPay. Depending on the payment processor, you might need to set up an account.
Confirm that the dealer accepts the cryptocurrency you own. Bitcoin is one of the most commonly accepted.
Choose the car you want to buy.
Follow the dealership’s instructions for the exchange.
What’s the advantage of buying a car with Bitcoin?
There are several reasons why some crypto investors prefer to use Bitcoin to buy a car:
Fast Payments. Bitcoin transactions are usually faster than traditional fiat payments. Traditional payments rely on bank transfers or credit/debit cards, which require multiple intermediaries for processing. In contrast, Bitcoin transactions are decentralised and don’t involve intermediaries, allowing for quicker transactions that often take only a few minutes.
Highly Secure Payments. Bitcoin transactions use advanced encryption techniques, making them highly secure. They are recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain, which is virtually impossible to counterfeit or alter. Once a transaction is recorded on the blockchain, it can’t be amended or deleted. This immutability makes all transactions permanent and tamper-proof, hindering anyone from manipulating network records.
Lower Transaction Fees.Bitcoin transactions typically have lower fees than traditional payment methods such as credit cards or wire transfers. This advantage becomes especially significant for international transactions, where traditional remittance fees can be high. Crypto transactions could potentially eliminate 97% of these fees, making large, cross-border transfers more cost-effective.
No Transaction Limits. When purchasing a car with Bitcoin, you don’t need to worry about transaction limits. This is important when making big purchases like cars. Credit card companies and banks may decline a purchase exceeding a certain amount, but cryptocurrencies have no such limitations. This ensures that the transaction proceeds without any delays.
Should you buy a car with Bitcoin?
Whether or not you should buy a car using Bitcoin greatly depends on your comfort level with risk and volatility.
Cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, are known for their dramatic price swings.
Take, for example, Bitcoin’s performance in November 2021, when it reached a high of nearly $69,000. At that point, you could have purchased a new Porsche 718 Cayman with just one Bitcoin. Fast forward to the present, Bitcoin’s value is around $17,000, so the same Bitcoin would only be enough to buy an average city car.
The value of cars doesn’t fluctuate as significantly as cryptocurrencies, which makes this kind of transaction risky. However, a workaround for this volatility could be to use stablecoins, which are cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a stable value relative to a specific asset or a pool of assets. A good example is the USDC or USDT, which you can store in a crypto wallet and use for car payments, thus mitigating the risk of your crypto’s value suddenly dropping.
That being said, if you are a firm believer in the future of cryptocurrencies and their potential to revolutionise our financial system, buying a car with Bitcoin could be an exciting way to apply this innovative technology. Plus, there is a certain novelty factor in being able to tell your friends that you bought a car using Bitcoin.
Ultimately, the decision to buy a car with Bitcoin should be based on your personal financial situation, your tolerance for risk, and your belief in the future of cryptocurrencies.
The next Bitcoin halving will take place in 2024. Is this a ‘buy the dip’ opportunity? With less than one year to the next big crypto event, investors are getting anxious.
Is it time to invest in Bitcoin as the halving approaches? Historical patterns suggest that Bitcoin’s price behaviour tends to follow a distinct cycle aligned with these halving events, which occur every four years.
These cycles, known as “epochs,” typically encompass a significant high and low point in Bitcoin’s value, with these events being roughly four years apart.
Interestingly, in each epoch, the significant low point usually materializes just over a year prior to the next halving. Therefore, long-standing Bitcoin advocates see little evidence to suggest a significant deviation from this pattern in the future.
Ultimately, the Bitcoin halving is just a reminder that the world’s most valuable crypto is designed to become increasingly scarce as time passes by. Even if your crypto investment isn’t in Bitcoin, this even still has a massive effect on the entire market, as Bitcoin represents almost 50% of the market.
What is Bitcoin halving?
Bitcoin is created by powerful computers which solve complicated mathematical puzzles to validate each blockchain block and generate new Bitcoins. Every four years (210,000 blocks, to be more exact), the reward for generating a new block is cut in half. Hence the name Bitcoin halving.
When Bitcoin started, miners got 50 Bitcoins for every block they added. This was a lot, but it helped attract people to the system.
For example, the first halving happened in 2012 when the reward dropped from 50 to 25 Bitcoins. The second halving, in 2016, cut the reward down to 12.5 Bitcoins. The most recent halving in 2020 reduced the reward to just 6.25 Bitcoins.
The next halving is expected to happen in 2024. This halving process will continue until we hit around the year 2140, by which time all 21 million Bitcoins should have been mined.
Why does Bitcoin halving happen?
Imagine the Bitcoin system as a digital gold mine that’s programmed to dig up a new chunk of gold every 10 minutes. As more miners (people with powerful computers) join the hunt, they’re able to dig up gold faster. But to keep things fair and maintain the 10-minute digging goal, the digging process is made harder every couple of weeks. Despite the growth of the Bitcoin network over the past decade, the average digging time has stayed below 10 minutes, around 9.5 minutes, to be exact.
Now, the total amount of Bitcoin that can ever exist is capped at 21 million. When this number is hit, no more Bitcoin can be created. Bitcoin halving is a process that gradually reduces the amount of new Bitcoin that can be mined each time a block is added to the blockchain. This makes Bitcoin scarcer and potentially more valuable over time.
You might think that halving the reward for mining would make people less interested in doing it. But Bitcoin halvings have historically been associated with big jumps in Bitcoin’s price. This keeps miners motivated to mine more, even though they’re getting less Bitcoin each time they mine a block.
So, miners are encouraged to keep digging as long as the price of Bitcoin keeps going up. If the price doesn’t rise and the reward for mining keeps getting smaller, miners might be less interested in mining Bitcoin. This is because it takes a lot of time, computer power, and electricity to mine Bitcoin.
If you want to know more about Bitcoin, check out this Bitcoin hard fork guide, which explains all past forks which affected all BTC holders.
Should I buy Bitcoin?
Investor and entrepreneur Alistair Milne shared his perspective, recommending that those seeking to benefit from Bitcoin should consider purchasing now, as the period preceding the halving might not present as advantageous an entry point. He advised, “Avoid shorting when it’s dark green and ensure you’re fully invested before it turns blue.”
In the earlier part of the month, a well-known yet contentious figure in the Bitcoin industry used the halving narrative to argue that the pricing cycles aren’t a matter of coincidence. PlanB, the anonymous creator of the Stock-to-Flow (S2F) Bitcoin price prediction models, noted that about half of the market participants believe the link between halvings and price is random.
Why is bitcoin S2F/halving not priced in?
Because ~50% thinks the BTC price jumps after last 3 halvings (red) are a coincidence. Halvings are key to S2F, but these critics focus on auto-correlation between halvings and conclude there is no relation between S2F/halvings and… pic.twitter.com/8VaIy6oM5i
PlanB’s comments were framed within the debate over the relevance of the S2F theory to halvings, a theory that has faced considerable criticism due to unmet price predictions from 2021 onwards. However, PlanB also asserts that the current BTC/USD value is low, and the market hasn’t adequately factored in the upcoming halving.
PlanB questioned, “Why is bitcoin S2F/halving not priced in? Because ~50% thinks the BTC price jumps after last 3 halvings (red) are a coincidence.
Why isn’t the Bitcoin S2F/halving reflected in the price? Approximately 50% believe the price spikes following the last three halvings are coincidental,” adding an explanatory chart to his statement. He continued, “Halvings are key to S2F, but these critics focus on auto-correlation between halvings and conclude there is no relation between S2F/halvings and price. I disagree, obviously. 2024 halving will be very interesting!”
What does the Bitcoin halving event mean?
Think about Bitcoin miners like gold miners. They get paid in Bitcoin for their hard work of adding new transactions to the blockchain. But when Bitcoin halving happens, miners earn less for their work. This means fewer new Bitcoins enter circulation, similar to how less gold would be available if miners dug up less gold.
Here’s where the basic rules of supply and demand come in.
When the supply of something goes down, but demand stays the same or even goes up, the price usually goes up.
The halving event also slows down how fast new Bitcoin is made, which helps control inflation. Inflation is like when a dollar can’t buy as much as it used to. But Bitcoin is designed to be the opposite – it’s supposed to become more valuable over time. The halving event helps make this happen.
For instance, Bitcoin’s inflation rate was 50% in 2011, but it dropped to 12% in 2012 after the first halving and 4-5% in 2016 after the second halving. Currently, it sits at around 1.77%. So, after each halving, Bitcoin tends to become more valuable.
However, this process isn’t without its issues. Mining Bitcoin uses a lot of electricity, and miners might struggle to break even if the reward they’re getting is halved but the price of Bitcoin doesn’t go up enough to cover their costs.
Also, because of this, miners will be on the lookout for newer, more efficient technologies that can help them mine more Bitcoin while using less energy.
Besides, Bitcoin’s growing popularity and its acceptance by more businesses and big institutions might also push its price up. More transactions are likely to happen as more people start to use Bitcoin and blockchain technology.
Time to buy Bitcoin?
Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, is currently at a low point, trading around $27,300, after dropping almost 2% recently. This dip came as Binance, a significant cryptocurrency exchange, temporarily stopped Bitcoin withdrawals twice in one day due to technical issues. However, these operations have since resumed, and there are signs that Bitcoin could be gearing up for a recovery.
Despite the recent dip, Bitcoin showed promising resistance last week at $29,000, indicating the potential to climb back to $30,000.
Many Bitcoin investors are hopeful due to anticipated pauses in U.S. interest rate hikes and shifting trust from traditional finance to decentralized finance (DeFi). Combined with the upcoming Bitcoin halving event in 2024, which typically brings a surge in Bitcoin’s value, some experts predict Bitcoin could reach $35,000.
Still, it’s important to remember that Bitcoin is trading 50% lower than its all-time high of $69,000 in November 2021, and the journey to recovery may be lengthy. Also, external factors such as regulatory changes in countries like India could influence the market.
So, is it time to buy Bitcoin? It seems like a potentially advantageous time, given the low price and positive future prospects. But, as always with cryptocurrencies, it’s crucial to be vigilant and cautious due to their volatile nature. It’s best to stay informed about the current macroeconomic conditions and regulatory developments.
Following numerous postponements, Ethereum validators are now able to retrieve their staked Ether and associated rewards from the Ethereum mainnet. The Shapella hard fork has been successfully implemented on the Ethereum mainnet, enabling validators to withdraw their staked Ether from the Beacon Chain.
The highly anticipated Shapella update on Ethereum has been launched, introducing the much-awaited new feature, the Ether unstaking. The Ethereum community has expressed various reactions to the latest update in the ecosystem. The term “Shapella” is a combination of “Shanghai” and “Capella,” referring to simultaneous upgrades. This hard fork marks a significant milestone in Ethereum’s development, generating excitement among community members for the network’s future.
The highly anticipated update occurred at 10:27 pm UTC on April 12, during epoch number 194,048. In the initial hour following the hard fork, Ethereum block explorer beaconchai.in reported that 12,859 Ether were released through 4,333 withdrawals.
Ether staking rewards are withdrawn
At present, approximately 44% of validators, equating to 248,043 out of 559,549 active validators, have the option to request a partial or complete withdrawal.
Most of the current withdrawals range from 2.8 to 3.2 ETH, indicating that primarily staking rewards are being withdrawn at this time. Data from Rated Network Explorer reveals that just before the Shapella hard fork was implemented, 3,996 validators joined the exit queue.
Based on data from blockchain analytics company Nansen, crypto exchange Huobi possesses the most significant portion of withdrawable Ether at 30%. The decentralized autonomous organization PieDAO follows with a 17.7% share.
Nansen data indicates that 284,622 Ether from 7,948 validators are awaiting complete withdrawal. The price of Ether experienced minimal fluctuations during the first hour after the hard fork, as forecasted in an April 11 report by blockchain intelligence platform Glassnode. In theory, the hard fork could unlock 18.1 million Ether on the Beacon Chain, which is equivalent to over $34.8 billion.
However, the Ethereum Foundation has implemented several measures to prevent a sudden influx of ETH into the market. Glassnode’s report projected that less than 1% of the total amount would be released during the first week, and the 12,859 Ether unlocked within the first-hour accounts for a mere 0.07% of the total Ether staked on the Beacon Chain.
As for the market, the predictions are optimistic. The capacity of Ether to surpass resistance levels has led some analysts to predict a $3,000 price target in Q2 2023. Data from analytics provider Santiment reveals that whale accumulation remains robust, increasing by 0.5% in March.
This positive buying activity could support on-chain data indicating that Ether sell pressure following the Shanghai hard fork will be insignificant.
Ethereum Investment Proposal EIP-4895 facilitated the transfer of staked Ether from the Beacon Chain to the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This is known as the execution layer, thereby enabling withdrawals. This update on the Ethereum blockchain represents the most substantial upgrade since the Merge on September 15 and brings Ethereum one step closer to achieving a fully operational proof-of-stake system.
The community celebrates the Ethereum Shapella upgrade
During the Shapella watch party organized by the Ethereum Foundation team, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin expressed that the network is currently in a “really good place.” He said the most challenging and rapid aspects of the Ethereum protocol’s transition have essentially concluded. There are still substantial tasks to be accomplished, but they can proceed at a more relaxed pace.
In celebration of the new update, crypto singer Jonathan Mann performed a song at the Shapella watch party.
As some community members celebrated the event, others focused on the network’s future prospects. Ethereum community member Anthony Sassano highlighted the next significant feature, EIP-4844, which aims to improve the scalability of rollups on Ethereum.
The Shapella update is expected to attract more institutional investors to Ethereum.
