Ethereum network shows recovery signals as Lido revamps staking structure

On‑chain data indicate that Ethereum’s market conditions are improving despite a modest price correction. Over the past week, median transaction fees rose about 16% and tip fees surged roughly 86%, marking the first notable increase after months of decline. Smart‑contract deployments jumped to about 190% of the 90‑day average, suggesting heightened developer activity. Staking participation now accounts for 33.69% of the total ETH supply, a new high, while liquidity on exchanges fell as tens of thousands of ETH were withdrawn.

Separately, staking protocol Lido began moving roughly 8 million ETH (about $16.5 billion) into a new validator architecture that will cut the total number of validators by roughly one‑third. The upgrade is expected to reduce attestations per epoch by about 29% and introduce a mandatory ETH collateral requirement for node operators, with a modest estimated 0.28% drop in annual staking rewards. These changes aim to boost network efficiency and security without directly lowering gas fees for users.