cryptogist 📢: Ethereum at 10, A Price History and challenges
When Ethereum launched on July 30, 2015, barely anyone outside crypto circles understood what was truly being born. A decentralized world computer, Programmable money. ETH was just a ticker on a tiny exchange, trading for around $0.75.
Ten years later, Ethereum hasn’t just survived, it’s become the backbone of a new digital economy. It sits at the heart of DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and the AI x crypto fusion era. But getting here wasn’t easy. ETH’s story is one of wild price swings, near-death moments, and relentless reinvention.
2015–2016: The Dawn of a New Chain
Ethereum hit the scene quietly in 2015, with ETH trading between $0.75 and $1. For months, it was a niche project, mostly passed around by early believers. But by early 2016, whispers turned into speculation, and ETH surged to $15 by March a stunning 20x return.
2016: The DAO Hack Ethereum’s Identity Crisis
In June 2016, Ethereum faced its first existential crisis. A smart contract called The DAO, which had raised $150 million in ETH, was hacked due to a vulnerability in its code. Around 3.6 million ETH was stolen.
The community split. One side, led by Vitalik Buterin, pushed to roll back the blockchain to recover funds. Others insisted the code must remain law. A hard fork followed — Ethereum (ETH) went one way, Ethereum Classic (ETC) another.
ETH’s price dropped below $8. Trust was shaken. But something deeper emerged: Ethereum wasn’t just software. It had a soul, a voice, and it could choose to protect its people.
2017: ICO Mania and the ETH Boom
Ethereum became the launchpad for a new fundraising craze: Initial Coin Offerings. Startups raised billions in ETH, betting the future on tokens.
Investors piled in. ETH exploded from $8 in January 2017 to over $1,400 by early 2018.
Ethereum wasn’t just a protocol anymore, it was the infrastructure for the next internet.
But the hype far outran reality. Scams, empty promises, and legal pressure brought the house of cards down.
2018: The Crypto Winter
The bubble burst. ETH lost 94% of its value, falling to $80 by December 2018.
Critics called it dead.
Ethereum faced real problems:
– It couldn't scale
– Gas fees spiked
– Developers burned out or disappeared
But the core never quit. The community kept building.
2019–2020: DeFi Ignites a Comeback
In the darkness, a new movement was taking shape DeFi. Protocols like MakerDAO, Compound, and Uniswap started rebuilding finance on-chain.
Ethereum became the foundation for permissionless lending, trading, and stablecoins. ETH, once seen as just gas, began to look like money.
By mid-2020, ETH was back above $400.
COVID hit. The Fed printed trillions. Institutions started looking at crypto. Ethereum was ready.
2021: EIP-1559 and the Triple Halving Narrative
In August 2021, Ethereum deployed one of its most important upgrades: EIP-1559. It introduced base fee burning turning ETH into a disinflationary asset.
Combined with rising demand from DeFi and NFTs, ETH hit a new all-time high of $4,891 by November. Some began calling Ethereum’s roadmap a “Triple Halving” thanks to staking incentives, supply burn, and reduced sell pressure.
But usage costs skyrocketed. Ethereum’s base layer was clogged. The need for rollups became undeniable.
2022: Merge Hype Meets Macro Doom
Ethereum’s biggest moment was coming: the Merge. A shift from energy-hungry Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake.
But the macro backdrop was ugly. Inflation surged. Interest rates rose. Crypto giants like Celsius and FTX collapsed.
ETH plunged to $880 in June.
Still, on September 15, 2022, the Merge happened smoothly, flawlessly. Ethereum rewired itself in flight. No fork. No downtime.
It was a historic achievement, but markets barely noticed.
2023–2024: The Modular Ethereum Era
Ethereum embraced a new vision modularity. L2s like Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and ZK rollups took over scaling.
The base layer became the settlement layer. Layer 2s handled speed.
ETH climbed steadily from $1,200 to above $3,000 by late 2024.
New narratives emerged: tokenized real-world assets, decentralized stablecoins, AI-powered smart contracts. Ethereum was no longer just for crypto geeks, it was becoming the foundation for finance, identity, creativity, and more.
2025: Ethereum at 10 — The World Computer Survives
ETH is now trading above $3,700. Major institutions build on Ethereum. Nations talk about running digital currencies on it. DAOs use it as a reserve asset.
ETH earns yield. It burns supply. It secures trillions.
But challenges remain:
– Gas fees still spike during congestion
– Regulators are circling
– L1 competitors like Solana and Avalanche are pushing hard
– Governance remains messy
Yet Ethereum remains the most resilient chain in crypto hardened by time, forked by fire, and still building.
Ten years ago, Ethereum was a dream of decentralization.
Today, it’s the infrastructure of the future.
What’s next?
Proto-Danksharding (EIP-4844) is already here. Full Danksharding is coming. Ethereum’s goal: scale to millions of users, without giving up security or decentralization.
ETH might become the backbone of AI economies. A digital identity layer. A reserve
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