Ethereum News

Ethereum (ETH) was launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and a team of co-founders as the world's first programmable blockchain, enabling smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) that extend far beyond simple peer-to-peer transactions. After transitioning from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake consensus through "The Merge" in 2022, Ethereum now processes transactions more efficiently while maintaining its position as the foundation for decentralized finance (DeFi) and Web3 innovation.

The Ethereum ecosystem encompasses thousands of decentralized applications, from DeFi protocols like Uniswap and Aave to NFT marketplaces, gaming platforms, and layer-2 scaling solutions like Arbitrum and Polygon. Developers, validators, and users interact within this programmable economy where ETH serves as both a digital currency and the fuel powering smart contract execution through gas fees.

CoinDesk covers all aspects of Etherum, from protocol upgrades and scaling developments to DeFi innovation and regulatory implications. Our reporters track everything from Ethereum's roadmap milestones and staking developments to the broader implications of programmable money and decentralized autonomous organizations.

DISCLOSURE: This text was written with the assistance of AI, then reviewed by a person.

Opinion

Towards Governance Abstraction: Understanding a 'Friendly' Way to Manage DAOs

Dagon, a technical implementation introduced by core developer Ross Campbell, looks to improve DAO governance and delegation using smart contracts.

By Ross CampbellJan 18, 2024

(Katya Ross/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Tech

The Protocol: MetaMask's Secret Weapon and Ethereum's Dencun Debacle

In this issue of CoinDesk's weekly newsletter on blockchain technology, we bring you Sam Kessler's scoop on MetaMask's in-development "intents" feature that could revolutionize how users interact with blockchains. Also: a post-mortem on Ethereum's unexpectedly ugly Dencun testnet upgrade – and a glimpse of one of the new data blobs.

By Bradley KeounJan 17, 2024

Tech

Protocol Village: Unstoppable Works With Push Protocol to Deliver Token-Gated Group Chats

The latest in blockchain tech upgrades, funding announcements and deals. For the period of Jan. 11-17.

By Bradley KeounJan 17, 2024

Scene from Protocol Village at Consensus 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Tech

MetaMask's Secret Project Could Shake Up How Ethereum Works

MetaMask is quietly testing new tech that uses third parties to route user transactions. It will eventually be made available outside of MetaMask and will be closely scrutinized for how it manages to avoid centralization concerns.

By Sam KesslerJan 17, 2024

MetaMask has quietly rolled out a limited version of its new routing tech into the new Smart Swaps feature (MetaMask, modified by CoinDesk)

Finance

BlackRock Wants to Follow Bitcoin ETF With an Ethereum ETF. Marketing It Might Not Be So Simple

Larry Fink has been talking up a spot ether ETF, but index provider CF Benchmarks sees a conundrum when it comes to selling that product.

By Ian AllisonJan 16, 2024

Larry Fink (Will Ess for Pixelmind.ai/CoinDesk)

Podcasts

Gas Limit Boost, Bitcoin ETF Breakthrough, and Anti-Deepfake Alliances: What Lies Ahead in Crypto and Blockchain?

By Margaux Nijkerk, Sam Kessler, Bradley KeounJan 11, 2024

Tech

Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin Proposes Gas Limit Increase

Ethereum's gas limit refers to the maximum amount of gas that can be expended in an individual block. A limit increase could improve network capacity and potentially reduce costs for users.

By Sam Kessler, Margaux NijkerkJan 11, 2024

(TechCrunch/Wikimeda Commons, modified by CoinDesk)

Finance

StarkWare CEO Uri Kolodny Steps Down Due to Family Health Issue

StarkWare president Eli Ben-Sasson will become CEO, and Kolodny will continue to serve on the StarkWare board of directors, the company said on Thursday.

By Ian AllisonJan 11, 2024

StarkWare co-founders President Eli Ben-Sasson and CEO Uri Kolodny (StarkWare)

Tech

Protocol Village: EOS Network Ventures Invests $2.4M in NoahArk Tech Group

The latest in blockchain tech upgrades, funding announcements and deals. For the period of Jan. 4-10.

By Bradley KeounJan 10, 2024

Tech

The Protocol: Beneath Bitcoin ETF Chaos, A Blockchain Drama

In this week's issue, we dive into the proposal that would have curtailed Ordinals inscriptions "NFTs on Bitcoin" traffic – were it not abruptly ended over the past week by a maintainer for the popular Bitcoin Core software. ALSO: Sam Kessler tries out the Polygon-based "Verify" tool – on Fox News stories.

By Bradley KeounJan 10, 2024