Ethereum’s focus on scaling through many layer-2 networks, each with its own transaction processing speed and parameters, potentially gives the network an unlimited number of unique high-throughput chains, according to Anurag Arjun, co-founder of Avail, a unified chain abstraction solution.

In an interview with Cointelegraph, Arjun acknowledged that Ethereum and high-throughput competitors with monolithic architecture are fundamentally different products. However, Ethereum’s choice to scale through a plethora of L2 solutions gives it an overlooked quality:

“The under-appreciated beauty of this rollup-centric roadmap architecture is that it allows multiple teams to experiment with different execution environments and different block times.”

This allows a diverse set of high-throughput sidechains to appear rather than just one singular architecture on any monolithic layer-1s, the executive added. However, without true interoperability, switching between L2s will remain as complex as bridging assets between different blockchain ecosystems altogether, Arjun warned.

An overview of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem. Source: L2Beat

The Avail co-founder’s perspective runs contrary to the many critics of Ethereum’s L2-focused approach, who say that the network’s scaling solutions silo liquidity and are ultimately corrosive to the base layer. Ethereum’s critics argue that L2s are one of the primary causes of Ether’s (ETH) poor price performance in the last year.

Related: Vitalik Buterin proposes swapping EVM language for RISC-V

Ethereum fees drop to five-year lows

Fees on the Ethereum layer-1 network dropped to five-year lows in April 2025, with the average transaction fee sitting at around $0.16.

According to Brian Quinlivan, the marketing director for the Santiment onchain analytics firm, the reduction in fees signals decreased demand for the base layer and waning investor interest in Ethereum.

Ethereum network daily transaction fees dropped significantly in Q1 2025. Source: Token Terminal

“This large reduction in fees coincides with fewer people sending ETH and interacting with smart contracts,” Quinlivan wrote in an April 16 blog post.

These smart contract interactions include transactions across decentralized finance, digital collectibles like non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other digital asset sectors, the Santiment executive added.

Ether’s declining base layer transaction fees and reduced retail interest also caused many institutional investors to slash their Ether allocations and issue revised price outlooks for the second-largest digital asset by market capitalization.

Magazine: Make Ethereum feel like Ethereum again: Based rollups explained

Ether (ETH) price has climbed above $1,700 after 16 days of selling pressure caused by macroeconomic uncertainty and a sharp decline in onchain activity. Despite the rebound, Ether has underperformed the broader altcoin market by 23% year-to-date.

Some traders claim that ETH is set for a “generational” bull run by offering a “truly” decentralized and permissionless financial system, but is that really the case?

Source: X/0xMontBlanc

Ether was one of the few major cryptocurrencies that did not reach a new all-time high in 2025, unlike competitors such as Solana (SOL), Tron (TRX), and BNB (BNB).

Some critics argue that moving away from proof-of-work mining removed a competitive advantage that Ethereum once had over its rivals.

Ethereum fee drop signals ETH price weakness

Eventually, Ether may outperform its competitors, even if only for a short period, and influencers who are calling for a “generational bottom” will celebrate their predictions, despite the lack of strong fundamentals to support lasting price growth. However, considering the 95% drop in Ethereum fees since January, the chances of an immediate ETH surge seem low.

Ethereum network daily fees, USD. Source: DefiLlama

The low demand for data processing on the Ethereum network causes ETH to become inflationary, as the built-in burn mechanism is not enough to balance the new coins issued to cover staking rewards.

Despite being the clear leader in Total Value Locked (TVL), traders are generally uninterested in this metric since it hasn’t translated into higher demand for the Ethereum network or increased scarcity for ETH.

As a result, even if Ethereum’s fundamentals improve, optimism among ETH holders is declining, while competitors—especially Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP) investors—are hopeful about the approval of their spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US. Currently, spot ETFs in the US are only available for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), so additional offerings would likely reduce the potential institutional demand for altcoins.

Adding to the concerns, US-listed spot Ether ETFs saw $10 million in net outflows between April 21 and April 23, while similar BTC instruments experienced record-breaking inflows.

History shows ETH price rallies seldom last long

Historical evidence does not favor a lasting outperformance compared to competitors, which lowers the odds of a sustainable ETH rally.

Related: Bitcoiner PlanB slams ETH: ‘Centralized & premined’ shitcoin

Ether market share among altcoins. Source: TradingView / Cointelegraph

For example, Ether’s market share in the altcoin capitalization reached a low point in June 2022 at around 26.5% when the ETH price dropped below $1,100. After a quick rally to $2,000 by August 2022, the momentum faded, and ETH’s price fell below $1,200 less than three months later. This sudden correction likely left many investors frustrated, as they had to wait eight months for ETH to reclaim $2,000 in April 2023.

A similar pattern happened in April 2021, when Ether’s altcoin market share bottomed out at 26.8%. After that, the ETH price climbed from $2,100 to $4,200 by May 2021, only to fall below $2,000 the following month. Again, traders who bought near the cycle top had to wait six months just to recover their investment. This history has taught Ether traders to take profits quickly, which reduces the chances of reaching a new all-time high.

It is difficult to pinpoint what triggered previous Ether bull runs, especially as the narrative has shifted from utility tokens to NFT marketplaces, artificial intelligence, memecoins, and, more recently, RWA tokenization. While some influencers believe in strong ETH momentum, others warn there could be another 15% drop compared to Bitcoin’s performance.

In the end, historical evidence does not support a lasting ETH price rally, even if it bottoms out relative to the broader altcoin market capitalization.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Global cross-border payment platform Axiym is targeting the rising demand from money services businesses (MSBs) for blockchain-based infrastructure and stablecoin solutions for international transactions, the company told Cointelegraph.

Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Axiym disclosed on April 24 that it has processed more than $132 million in cumulative volume on the Avalanche blockchain.

The platform uses Avalanche to deliver real-time credit and liquidity infrastructure to MSBs worldwide.

Source: Avalanche

MSBs — a broad category that includes money transmitters like Western Union, currency exchanges, crypto platforms, fintech firms, and check cashers — are embracing these innovations, Morgan Krupetsky, head of institutions and capital markets at Ava Labs, told Cointelegraph.

In the case of Axiym, “MSBs themselves don’t operate onchain,” Axiym CEO Khibar Russel told Cointelegraph. Instead, “Axiym connects their existing payment operations to Avalanche behind the scenes using blockchain to automate, move, and manage capital far more efficiently.” 

“Under the hood, Axiym has built an application that provides credit to global MSBs using stablecoins to power payments — these transactions occur on the Avalanche C-Chain,” Krupetsky said, adding:

“This enables real-time cross-border liquidity provisioning that would be difficult or expensive through legacy payment rails or slower blockchains.”

Related: Luxury app Dorsia taps MoonPay for crypto payments

The case for cross-border payments continues to grow

Russel told Cointelegraph that Axiym’s clients are primarily licensed payment companies based in major financial centers like the UAE, the United Kingdom and Singapore. However, these companies’ users often send funds to major remittance hubs across Asia, Africa and Latin America, he said.

Axiym’s platform has been developed to address many of the pain points in traditional cross-border payments, including “capital inefficiency, SWIFT-based delays, high costs and fragmented frameworks,” Russel said.

While blockchain offers significant advantages in speed and transparency, regulatory fragmentation has made it harder for the technology to replace legacy payment systems. 

Axiym is attempting to solve this problem by “embedding blockchain capabilities directly into existing payment operations” using Avalanche, Russel said.

Blockchain-based stablecoins have become a key tool for enabling low-cost, efficient cross-border payments, which explains why these fiat-pegged assets have gained traction in emerging markets.

A 2024 Chainalysis report showed that stablecoin remittances from Sub-Saharan Africa are 60% cheaper than traditional fiat rails. 

The power of blockchain technology: An average $200 remittance from Sub-Saharan Africa is 60% cheaper using stablecoins than fiat. Source: Chainalysis 

As Cointelegraph recently reported, blockchain company Ripple has partnered with African payment infrastructure provider Chipper Cash to support cross-border crypto transactions.

Meanwhile, crypto-focused payment startups are also gaining traction in venture capital circles, with the Tether-backed Mansa recently closing a $10 million funding round to expand its stablecoin cross-border payment services.

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