NFT Marketplaces Witness Dramatic Reduction in Ethereum Fees

Ethereum gas consumption landscape is transforming significantly as Non-Fungible Token (NFT) marketplaces no longer dominate the network’s gas usage. According to a report by Nansen, a crypto analytics platform, NFTs have fallen behind in doing the most in Ethereum gas fees. 

Notably, while Ethereum’s transition to proof-of-stake, in an event known as “The Merge,” is anticipated to address high gas prices, investors are now exploring alternatives like Cardano, which boasts greater cost-efficiency following its recent Hydra upgrade.

Ethereum’s Gas Consumption Shift

According to data revealed by Nansen on Friday, there’s currently a noteworthy shift in Ethereum’s gas consumption patterns. NFT marketplaces, which once held the top spot, now account for a mere 3% of total gas usage.

Surprisingly, decentralized exchange (DEX) Uniswap has emerged as the primary gas consumer, representing 31.99% of gas consumption. This shift indicates a diversification in Ethereum’s transactional activity and a reduction in NFT-related gas usage. Nansen noted:

Gone were the days of NFTs topping the Ethereum gas-consuming charts. This week, of the top 20 gas consumers, OpenSea and Blur accounted for less than 10% combined. And against all gas consumers, the NFT marketplaces were just over 3%. Uniswap in contrast was 10x more – 31.99%.

This substantial decline in NFT-related gas consumption can be attributed to various factors, including the network’s congestion caused by an influx of meme coin trading, notably the recently hyped frog-themed meme coin PEPE.

This surge in meme coin transactions resulted in heightened gas prices, prompting users to explore alternatives and alleviating the burden on NFT marketplaces.

Navigating the Gas Crisis

Ethereum‘s gas crisis has persisted despite The Merge, which is said to enhance scalability and reduce gas fees by migrating the network to a proof-of-stake consensus model. In response, some investors have sought solace in blockchain platforms offering cost-efficient alternatives.

With its recent Hydra upgrade, Cardano has gained attention for its ability to handle transactions more economically. The implementation of Hydra’s layer-2 scaling solution has positioned Cardano as a viable option for users seeking relief from Ethereum’s high gas prices.

The recent decrease in NFT marketplaces’ gas consumption marks a significant turning point in Ethereum’s gas crisis. As decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and other transaction-heavy platforms take the lead in gas consumption, the burden on NFT marketplaces has lessened.

However, the broader Ethereum community anticipates the implementation of updates on the mainnet to address the persistent gas issues and improve scalability on the network. 

Meanwhile, Ethereum’s price has experienced an upward trend in the past week, up by 2.4%. ETH has surged from a low of $1,771 seen last Friday to trading as high as above $1,800 later this week. 

Ethereum market capitalization has also recorded huge gains in the past 7 days. ETH’s market cap has surged over 2% from a cap low of $215 billion to a high of $218 billion on Friday. Meanwhile, ETH’s daily trading volume has plunged throughout the week from a high of $10 billion last Friday to $5.5 billion in the last 24 hours.

Interestingly, the asset has picked up from where it left off, rallying 1.1% in the last 24 hours. ETH currently trades slightly above $1,800 with a price of $1,811 at the time of writing.

Featured image from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView