Ethereum Achieves Record Daily Transactions
In a remarkable milestone, Etherscan reported that the Ethereum network achieved a staggering daily transaction volume of 1.91 million on its Layer 1 (L1) system. This achievement was accompanied by exceptionally low transaction fees, averaging at just 16 cents. The data illustrates a significant increase in Ethereum’s operational capacity, particularly noting that on the previous day alone, it managed 1,913,481 transactions, marking the highest daily count for the year 2025.
Upgrades Driving Performance
The newfound capability of Ethereum to accommodate such substantial traffic without exorbitant costs can be attributed to two significant upgrades rolled out in 2025: Pectra and Fusaka.
The Fusaka upgrade, which was implemented earlier this month, played a crucial role in achieving this record, as it notably enhanced the Ethereum L1 blockchain’s block size by approximately 33%. As a result, this expansion allowed the network to include many more transactions per block.
Historically, each node on the Ethereum network was required to download all associated data, which created inefficiencies. The introduction of PeerDAS within the Fusaka upgrade addressed this issue by enabling nodes to verify large data sets, known as “blobs“, by examining only small samples. These blobs, noted for their cost-effectiveness, were initially introduced in the prior Dencun update but were refined further in Fusaka. They act like supplemental containers attached to the primary block, effectively transmitting data without interfering with standard transaction processes.
Meanwhile, the Pectra upgrade, executed in May, established essential foundations for scaling by improving interactions between Ethereum’s main chain and Layer 2 networks, such as Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base. Pectra effectively increased the limit of these data “sidecars” from three to six per block. This enhancement resulted in a nearly halved cost for Layer 2 networks to settle transactions on Ethereum, thereby mitigating congestion across the entire network.
Challenges Ahead
However, despite these advancements, the scaling efforts are still a work in progress. Users continue to face challenges when attempting to use Layer 2 funds due to complex bridging mechanisms, exacerbating the fragmentation within the Ethereum ecosystem. As the database encompassing all accounts, balances, and smart contracts—collectively known as the “State“—grows increasingly larger, the risk is that it could eventually reach sizes of terabytes or petabytes, complicating the setup necessary for average users to operate a node effectively.
