Its native money, Ether, serves as the fuel for the decentralized Ethereum blockchain network. Decentralized apps are supported by the Ethereum platform, which is where smart contracts were first developed.

This summer might finally see the Ethereum blockchain’s long-awaited update. The most well-liked altcoin, Ethereum, which is also the second-largest cryptocurrency in terms of volume, is preparing a significant software update that can have an impact on your cryptocurrency holdings. Ethereum is switching towards a less energy-intensive technology after dominating the smart contract blockchain market for years. Ethereum Merge is the new name for the planned upgrades that were formerly known as Ethereum 2.0 or Eth2. It might be happening more quickly than anticipated after numerous delays. A crucial step toward completing Ethereum’s full software upgrade later this summer was the completion of a test merge. The update is anticipated to have a substantial impact on the value of the second-largest cryptocurrency, therefore industry analysts are intently monitoring every development leading up to it.

The Long-Awaited Merge of Ethereum

In September, Ethereum will undergo the Ethereum Merge, a long-awaited update that will complete the switch from a POW to a POS system. Along with making the network more eco-friendly and lowering the supply of ETH, The Merge will change the monetary policy of Ethereum. Following The Merge, Ethereum is anticipated to have less inflation than Bitcoin, according to experts. Ethereum will deflationary affect prices, especially with fee burning, whereas Bitcoin will always increase prices. At the very least in terms of interest, this merge offers a crucial impetus for Ethereum Classic. A branch of the Ethereum blockchain that resulted from a disagreement among developers on the Ethereum team is known as Ethereum Classic and is frequently referred to as the less popular and respected brother of Ethereum. Even while Ethereum will serve as the foundation of the decentralized finance industry, the researchers believe that it will still have a broader adoption space than Bitcoin, which will continue to serve as a form of digital gold.

Ethereum

What’s the difference between Ethereum and Ethereum 2.0?

From April 2022, Ethereum has been operating two parallel blockchains, one using proof of work and the other a test chain utilizing proof of stake. The merge will create a single, unified blockchain from both the new Beacon Chain and the old Ethereum Mainnet blockchain. Due to worries that it may confuse users prior to the integration, Ethereum developers recently abandoned the ETH1 and ETH2 names. 

PoW versus PoS

  • PoW is a decentralized consensus process that forbids users from abusing the system by requiring them to spend time and effort solving a random mathematical puzzle. It takes a lot of power to use this technique.
  • PoS, or proof-of-stake, is a consensus mechanism that mandates blockchain networks employ validators who stake their own cryptocurrency assets in exchange for the opportunity to confirm new transactions on the blockchain. A new block is validated by an initial winner, and subsequent validators can verify its accuracy. The network adds a new block to the blockchain after reaching a predetermined threshold for validators, and each one of them receives a reward in the native cryptocurrency of the network. This process is substantially quicker and uses less computer power.

PoS was developed as a replacement for PoW. In summary, PoS significantly reduces the amount of computer effort needed to validate new blocks on the blockchain, in contrast to PoW, which largely relies on computational support. PoS is a more energy-efficient and environmentally benign method because validators are chosen at random, rather than through mining for the sake of solving an equation. The PoS approach is thought to be theoretically more secure in comparison.

What Effects Will the Ethereum Merge Have on Your Crypto Investments?

  • Following a six-month period in which new blockchain projects reduced Ethereum’s market share, some analysts believe the update could help the cryptocurrency expand.
  • Later this year, after the merger, I do anticipate seeing a favorable impact on the markets.
  • If Ethereum merges, processing times might be sped up, security and stability may be improved, and energy usage may be reduced by at least 98 percent.
  • This upgrade might increase the value of related altcoins.
  • The good momentum will be for the Ethereum-based projects, including Polygon and many more, that are being developed.
  • In the meantime, the ecosystem around Ethereum could put more pressure on competing protocols like Polkadot and Solana. because the upgrade will let the network to scale, lower transaction costs, and encourage more people to adopt blockchain technology.

Ethereum

What Drives Ethereum’s Updates?

It seems sensible to switch to a proof-of-stake mechanism for several reasons. One reason is that it uses less energy, which causes worries that cryptocurrencies are harmful to the environment. 

Second, a newer smart contract chain that is compatible with Ethereum is called proof of stake. It is considered to be more advanced and is more commonly acknowledged by the industry. What is better and the best course of action are no longer heavily contested topics, in my opinion. These days, anything new is evidence of risk.

What Possibilities Does Ethereum Have in the Future?

The upgrade will probably result in a reduction in the supply of fresh ETH, and depending on how much ETH is available for staking, interest in the Ethereum blockchain may rise. For the majority of Ethereum investors, the fall in supply is favorable. Over time, supply should decrease instead of increase. And therefore, in my opinion, that greatly strengthens Ethereum’s case for investing as a value store and an inflation hedge.

The indicators are all in place for the Ethereum platform to continue to hold its position as the top smart contract blockchain and perhaps even overtake Bitcoin as the most popular cryptocurrency, but there is still a lot of work to be done by Ethereum’s developers before that can happen.