The Protocol: Ethereum Turns 10
This week in crypto tech: Ethereum celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of innovation and growth. The price of ether (ETH) has rebounded recently, reaching $3,800 in July, fueled by increased institutional interest and new use cases like tokenization and stablecoin growth. Leading ecosystem players reflected on Ethereum’s journey and its potential integration into traditional finance.
Linea, an Ethereum layer-2 network, announced significant upgrades for October 2025. These include ETH-native staking, a protocol-level ETH burn mechanism, and a substantial allocation of its token supply to ecosystem development. Linea aims to become the first layer-2 to burn ETH with every transaction, contributing to Ethereum’s deflationary pressure while supporting its own ecosystem.
Solana’s ecosystem is focusing on “Internet Capital Markets,” a decentralized framework for next-generation on-chain financial applications. A new roadmap emphasizes Application-Controlled Execution (ACE), granting smart contracts millisecond-level control over transaction sequencing. This addresses key challenges in market microstructure, aiming to improve speed, privacy, and inclusion.
Square is expanding its Bitcoin payment options for merchants, using the Lightning Network for near real-time settlements. The rollout began recently, targeting full availability by 2026. This move broadens Bitcoin’s accessibility for everyday transactions.
MicroStrategy significantly increased its Bitcoin holdings, purchasing 21,021 BTC using funds from a new preferred stock issuance. This brings their total holdings to 628,791 BTC, valuing approximately $74 billion at current prices. SharpLink Gaming also expanded its ETH holdings to 438,190 tokens, worth roughly $1.68 billion.
Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced a bill allowing mortgage borrowers to use cryptocurrency holdings as collateral, aligning with a recent directive from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This aims to increase homeownership accessibility for individuals holding digital assets.
In legal news, Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm chose not to testify in his Manhattan trial, where he faces charges related to money laundering. The defense rested its case following this decision. Upcoming industry events include Korea Blockchain Week, Token2049, the Digital Asset Summit, and more.
