Layer 2s

Headshot of Starknet Foundation CEO Diego Oliva
Starknet Foundation Showers STRK Tokens on Contributors, Though They're Not Trading Yet
The foundation, formed in November 2022 after the initial developer StarkWare minted 10 billion STRK tokens, is now awarding early contributors to the Ethereum layer-2 network...
Headshot of Starknet Foundation CEO Diego Oliva

Ethereum network fees (IntoTheBlock)
Ethereum's New Low-Fee Regime May Put Its 'Ultra Sound Money' Thesis to Test
The Ethereum network's revenue from fees dropped to its lowest level since April 2020 as speculative activity disappeared and users migrated to layer 2s, IntoTheBlock said.
Ethereum network fees (IntoTheBlock)

Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist, at this week's Permissionless conference in Austin, Texas.
Namesake of Ethereum's 'Danksharding' Says 'Data Availability' Too Confusing a Term
The Ethereum Foundation's Dankrad Feist says he thinks a lot of people are stumped by the term "data availability," even as the concept gains momentum in blockchain tech circl...
Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist, at this week's Permissionless conference in Austin, Texas.

Ethereum fees known as "gas prices" have stayed low despite a recent crypto frenzy that in the past might have caused congestion. (Creative Commons, modified by CoinDesk.)
Ethereum Handled Friend.tech Frenzy Without 'Gas Fee' Spike. Why That’s a Big Deal
Friend.tech, Crypto's latest fad, didn't drive up congestion and fees on Ethereum the way frenzies have in the past – possibly a sign that the blockchain's efforts to scale by...
Ethereum fees known as "gas prices" have stayed low despite a recent crypto frenzy that in the past might have caused congestion. (Creative Commons, modified by CoinDesk.)

Chart shows surge in buyers on Base's Friend.tech app after the project announced it had received an investment earlier this year from the crypto-focused venture capital firm Paradigm. (Messari/Dune)
The Protocol: Coinbase Blockchain's Viral Use Case Puts Focus on Optimism's Tech
The week in blockchain tech: Crypto-fueled social marketplace Friend.tech goes viral on Coinbase's new Base blockchain, Shiba Inu community's "Shibarium" network aims for fres...
Chart shows surge in buyers on Base's Friend.tech app after the project announced it had received an investment earlier this year from the crypto-focused venture capital firm Paradigm. (Messari/Dune)

Shiba Inu Doge dog (Getty Images)
The Protocol: Blockchains Keep Launching, From Sei to Shibarium
The week in blockchain tech: Two much-hyped networks debut, though the launches weren't quite as smooth as organizers might have hoped. ALSO: What is restaking? (Answer: it's...
Shiba Inu Doge dog (Getty Images)

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, now on cusp of realizing his "secret master plan" from 2016. (Coinbase)
The Protocol: Coinbase Launches Own Blockchain as Sleuths Scour PayPal's Stablecoin Software
We're covering Coinbase's launch of "Base," a layer-2 network atop Ethereum, along with the crypto community's reaction to PayPal's new stablecoin and the brouhaha over Matter...
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, now on cusp of realizing his "secret master plan" from 2016. (Coinbase)

Jesse Pollak, head of protocols at Coinbase (CoinDesk TV)
Coinbase Exec: ‘There’s No Playbook’ for Public Company Launching Blockchain
As Coinbase, the big U.S. crypto exchange, plans to launch its new Base blockchain on Wednesday, CoinDesk interviewed Jesse Pollak, Coinbase's head of protocols, who’s leading...
Jesse Pollak, head of protocols at Coinbase (CoinDesk TV)

(Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Mantle Introduces New Governing Body for Treasury Management
The new layer 2 network passed a governance vote that establishes the Mantle Economics Committee as well as introduces more liquid staking into the ecosystem by authorizing li...
(Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Mantle launched its mainnet on Monday. (Unsplash)
Mantle’s MNT Token Outpaces Rival Layer 2 Blockchains Over Past 24 Hours
After launching its mainnet on Monday, Mantle’s utility and governance token has jumped roughly 4%, more than the native tokens of Arbitrum and Optimism over the past day.
Mantle launched its mainnet on Monday. (Unsplash)