Ethereum's 2025 momentum is hard to ignore. DeFi total value locked has climbed past $99 billion—a commanding 9x advantage over competing layer-1 chains. The stablecoin settlement volume hitting $18.8 trillion underscores the network's dominance in payment rails and financial infrastructure.

What's equally impressive: transaction costs have plummeted. Layer-2 solutions now process transactions for under a cent, making Ethereum increasingly accessible for retail and institutional users alike. Meanwhile, institutional adoption keeps accelerating—approximately $35 billion in ETH sits in spot ETFs and institutional treasuries, reflecting serious money moving into the ecosystem.

Layer-2 networks are handling an average of 5,600 transactions per second, demonstrating genuine scalability breakthroughs. Whether it's DeFi composability or stablecoin infrastructure, Ethereum continues reshaping what's possible in decentralized finance.