“Technology upgrades do not automatically change economic realities.” — DNA Crypto.
Since its inception in the financial markets, cryptocurrency has fundamentally changed our perception of them. Together with blockchain technology, cryptocurrency is reshaping financial markets worldwide.
They are also being adopted across industries such as manufacturing and healthcare. The main aim of the crypto world is to reduce the complexity and security risks associated with traditional financial transactions.
Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and remains the world’s most significant crypto asset. Ethereum was invented back in 2011. It was created with fully decentralised software that enabled other decentralised applications to be built on top of it. Today, Ethereum is the world’s second-largest and most famous crypto.
Its ability to operate as both a currency and technology has brought it to the centre of everyone’s attention. Ethereum developers have taken further steps by releasing an update to the 2011 Ethereum version, known as Ethereum 2.0. This article will briefly highlight what to expect with this new update.
What is ETH 2.0?
As mentioned earlier, Ethereum 2.0 is an update to the initial Ethereum developed in 2011. It is designed to improve on issues such as scalability, speed and efficiency. Ethereum 2.0 is designed to operate effectively as transaction volume increases. Other names conjured to refer to Ethereum 2.0 include Serenity and ETH2. It has undergone significant structural and blueprint changes, making it very different from its predecessor.
Initially, Ethereum operated on a consensus mechanism known as proof-of-work. However, ETH2 will use a different consensus mechanism, proof-of-stake. Let’s briefly highlight the main changes in Ethereum 2.0.
Sharding
This is the process of dividing a Blockchain into several parts. In Ethereum 2.0, several blockchains in the network are known as shards. Using this process, the network operates as a single validator, handling all workloads from a single entity.
Each shard stores data and is managed by a single validator. In ETH2, the validators are mixed to avoid manipulation and redundancy. A chain known as the Beacon chain enables shards to work together.
Proof-of-Stake
The proof-of-stake method uses validators rather than miners, as in proof-of-work. Like miners, validators are also awarded tokens for adding blocks to the blockchain.
What are The Benefits of ETH 2.0?
- – Scalability: One of Ethereum’s foremost challenges was scalability, which led to network congestion and high transaction fees. ETH 2.0 introduces shard chains, splitting the network into smaller chains to significantly increase its capacity to process transactions in parallel.
- – Energy Efficiency: Moving from PoW to PoS reduces the energy consumption associated with mining. This shift aligns with global efforts toward sustainable, eco-friendly blockchain solutions, making Ethereum more environmentally conscious.
- – Improved Security: The introduction of PoS enhances Ethereum’s security. Validators are chosen to create new blocks based on the amount of cryptocurrency they ‘stake’ as collateral, fostering a more secure and resilient network against malicious actors.
- – Economic Incentives: Validators in ETH 2.0 are required to lock up a certain amount of cryptocurrency as collateral. This introduces economic incentives for good behaviour, as validators risk losing their staked funds if they act maliciously.
- – Staking Opportunities: ETH 2.0 allows users to participate in network validation through staking. Individuals can lock up their Ethereum as collateral to become validators and earn rewards for helping secure the network.
- – Long-Term Sustainability: By addressing scalability issues, reducing energy consumption, and enhancing overall network efficiency, ETH 2.0 positions Ethereum as a long-term, sustainable blockchain solution that can support a diverse range of decentralised applications.
In Conclusion
Ethereum 2.0 has introduced more effective features to the crypto space. By addressing scalability, ETH2.0 will significantly reduce congestion in Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.
Image Source: Adobe Stock
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.