Ethereum shift to settlement role

Developers and traders are moving high‑frequency crypto perpetual futures from Ethereum’s base layer to layer‑2 networks such as Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync and Base. The L2 solutions provide the low‑latency, low‑cost environment needed for this growing market, while Ethereum continues to act as the security and settlement layer that finalises aggregated transactions.

As the migration proceeds, Ethereum captures fewer direct fees per trade, but its role as the finality provider reinforces its security moat and supports the broader ecosystem of application‑specific chains. The community is debating whether this infrastructure‑focused model will become permanent, noting that faster base‑layer chains offer lower fees, yet Ethereum’s decentralisation and robustness remain valuable.

Overall, the trend reflects a pragmatic trade‑off: Ethereum prioritises settlement and security, while layer‑2 networks handle order matching and execution, delivering sub‑cent fees and millisecond confirmations for traders.