Ethereum 2.0 has been long in the making ever since the Beacon Chain went into operation in 2020. Since then, there have been numerous upgrades made to prepare the network for the final proof of stake move. Most recently of this has been the Kintsugi testnet that allows users of the blockchain to get a glimpse of what is to come when “The Merge” finally happens. It has been a year since the move to ETH 2.0 was set into motion and there have been some notable happenings since then. In this article, we’re going to look at the year in review and all that has happened with the network since then. Related Reading | Ethereum Exchange Withdrawals Reaches One-Year Low. Why This Matters Over 7% Of ETH Supply Staked Staking on the Ethereum network has ramped up since the move to proof of stake was announced. Instead of requiring miners to compete and verify blocks like in proof of work, the network now requires validators who need 32 ETH to run a node. Each validator gets rewarded for helping confirm transactions in the network and making it safer to use. The number of ETH staked on the network had quickly reached 5% of the total supply less than a year after the Beacon Chain was launched. December marks a complete year after the launch and there are now over 8.6 million ETH staked on the network worth a total of $33.5 billion. The number of validators has also grown to over 271,000 in this time. 7.33% of ETH supply staked | S...
