Why Is Ethereum Layer-1 Network Revenue Plummeting?

by Giorgi Kostiuk

2 years ago

What Led to the Revenue Drop?
Economic Impacts of the Revenue Drop
Future Outlook for Ethereum’s Layer-1 Network

Ethereum's L1 network revenue has dropped by 99% since March 2024, raising valid concerns about the future of one of crypto’s most dominant ecosystems.

What Led to the Revenue Drop?

The Dencun upgrade, launched in March 2024, introduced EIP-4844, or proto-danksharding, which made Layer 2 (L2) solutions on Ethereum more efficient by reducing their transaction costs through off-chain data storage. This resulted in millions of users shifting from Ethereum’s L1 network to the more cost-effective L2 solutions, leading to a notable decrease in Layer 1 transactions and a corresponding drop in revenue. The revenue decline was further exacerbated by a downturn in the DeFi sector, which relies heavily on Ethereum. In August 2024, DeFi protocols experienced a 24.4% drop in fee revenue to $288.38 million, which also impacted Ethereum’s L1 fee income.

Economic Impacts of the Revenue Drop

The Dencun upgrade caused inflationary pressure on the supply of Ether (ETH). The lower transaction costs weakened the deflationary mechanism previously supported by EIP-1559, leading to an increase in the overall supply of ETH. This, in turn, has put downward pressure on the price of ETH, making it harder to maintain its value below the $3,000 level and negatively affecting Ethereum’s market capitalization.

Ryan Berckmans, an Ethereum validator, argued that the success of L2 solutions has made Ethereum's base layer more accessible for larger entities.Ryan Berckmans

Future Outlook for Ethereum’s Layer-1 Network

The success of Ethereum’s Layer 1 network will depend on how well it adapts to the rapidly changing blockchain environment. Ethereum needs to continue evolving Layer 1 through upgrades like sharding and the full rollout of Ethereum 2.0 while integrating L2 solutions to balance transaction load and stabilize revenue streams. The interaction between L1 and L2 will be a critical factor for success.

Ethereum faces significant challenges, but continued improvements and strategic partnerships may help the network remain competitive.

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