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Record $166M Ethereum Fees Last Month Were 6 Times Bigger Than Bitcoin's

Ethereum continues to outpace Bitcoin in transaction fees, with DeFi mania helping push total fees to $166 million last month.

By Paddy Baker
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 10:02 a.m. Published Oct 1, 2020, 10:57 a.m.
Ethereum art
Ethereum art

Ethereum miners earned over six times more in fees compared to those working on Bitcoin in September.

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  • Glassnode data shows Ethereum's total transaction fees stood at an all-time high of $166 million for the month – far more than the $26 million taken in Bitcoin fees.
  • Ethereum fees long trailed those on Bitcoin, but have been on a tear over the past few months as surging interest in DeFi led to record transaction volumes.
  • Fee revenue on Ethereum first outpaced Bitcoin's in June – the same month decentralized lender Compound released its governance token and kick-started the DeFi mania.
Total Ethereum and Bitcoin transaction fees YTD
Total Ethereum and Bitcoin transaction fees YTD
  • As the DeFi space picked up momentum, the difference between Ethereum and Bitcoin fees has increased from only $10 million in June to well over $70 million by August.
  • Thursday's data shows the fee disparity between the two protocols practically doubled to $140 million in September.
  • Monthly Ethereum fees were just $1.5 million at the start of 2020.
  • This coincides with total value locked (TVL) in DeFi, which first broke the $1 billion in February but surged over the summer to well over $11 billion, according to DeFi Pulse.
  • HIVE Blockchain cited DeFi as a major contributing factor when reporting it earned approximately $12 million in fees in the second fiscal quarter, 30% up from Q1.

See also: DeFi Summer; Bitcoin Fall

MiningTransaction FeesEthereum NewsDeFiCoinFlash

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