ETH (Ethereum) breaks through $3100, with a market capitalization of approximately $380.935 billion

Gate News Bot Message, January 4th, according to CoinMarketCap data, as of press time, ETH (Ethereum) is trading at $3,156.18, up 0.82% in the past 24 hours, with a high of $3,160.55 and a low of $2,908.75. The 24-hour trading volume reached $12.205 billion. The current market capitalization is approximately $380.935 billion, an increase of $3.112 billion from yesterday.

Ethereum is a decentralized open-source blockchain network and software development platform supported by the cryptocurrency Ether (ETH). Ethereum represents the security and global infrastructure for the next generation of unstoppable applications. The network is open to everyone, permissionless, and ownerless, built and maintained by thousands of individuals, organizations, and users worldwide.

Ether (ETH) is the native cryptocurrency that powers the Ethereum network, used to pay transaction fees and secure the blockchain through staking. Beyond its technical role, ETH is an open, programmable digital currency. It is used for global payments, as collateral for loans, and as a store of value independent of any central entity. Ethereum is a leading platform for issuing, managing, and settling digital assets, from tokenized currencies and financial instruments to real-world assets and emerging markets, providing a secure and neutral foundation for the digital economy.

Recent Important News about ETH:

1️⃣ Network Upgrades Drive On-Chain Activity to Record Highs
Ethereum achieved a record number of transactions on December 31st, with a 7-day moving average of 1.87 million transactions, surpassing the 1.61 million record during the NFT and DeFi boom in May 2021. On the same day, active addresses reached 728,904, the highest since May 2021, with the largest single-day increase in new addresses since early 2018. Upgrades like ZK-EVM and PeerDAS significantly reduce transaction fees and improve scalability, attracting institutional investors and laying the foundation for network expansion and adoption.

2️⃣ Institutional Capital Continues to Deploy, Staking Scale Steadily Grows
Ethereum treasury companies like Bitmine continue to accelerate staking, with large amounts of ETH deposited into the Ethereum staking system, increasing the validator queue to approximately 977,000 ETH. Currently, over 35.5 million ETH are staked, about 29% of the total supply, with an annualized staking yield close to 2.54%. Meanwhile, whale addresses and several listed companies (Quantum Solutions, Jin Yong Investment) keep increasing their ETH holdings. Over the past month, whale address 0x46DB alone bought 51,374 ETH, indicating long-term confidence from professional capital in the network’s value.

3️⃣ ETF Flows Diverge, Institutional Enthusiasm Rebounds
Ethereum spot ETFs saw a net inflow of 12,930 ETH (about $39.82 million) in a single day. Although there was over $2 billion outflow during November-December, recent inflow trends have resumed. In contrast, Bitcoin ETFs experienced a net outflow of 2,061 BTC (about $184 million) in the same period, reflecting that institutional funds are more optimistic about Ethereum’s fundamentals and ecosystem prosperity.

4️⃣ Clear Technical Roadmap, Long-term Expansion Potential Unlocked
Vitalik Buterin confirmed that ZK-EVM has entered the alpha stage with production-level performance, and PeerDAS has officially launched on the mainnet. Starting from 2026, mechanisms like BAL and ePBS will gradually increase the Gas limit; between 2026-2028, Gas re-pricing and state structure adjustments will occur; by 2027-2030, ZK-EVM is expected to become the primary method for network validation blocks, further pushing the Gas limit higher. This indicates Ethereum is shifting from incremental optimization to systematic scaling, balancing decentralization, consensus, and high throughput.

This message is not investment advice. Investors should be aware of market volatility risks.