The second-largest cryptocurrency in the world is about to change. The merge is a major step in a series of upgrades that should make the blockchain faster, more scalable, and more energy efficient. Read on to get up to speed.

Tom Farren

Circle

First described in a 2013 whitepaper by programmer Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum (ETH) is a cryptocurrency and blockchain platform that allows developers to create programs and run smart contracts using its native language. It can thus be viewed as a virtual computer, whose resources are paid for using Ether.

In 2020, Ethereum began the transition to Ethereum 2.0, in which its proof-of-work consensus mechanism is replaced by a proof-of-stake model. The aim of the upgrade is to increase Ethereum’s scalability and security.

Ethereum

In brief

Circle insists it’s doing “the right thing,” advocating for the new chain's development amid growing discussions of yet another Ethereum fork.

Andrew Hayward

Everything you need to know about the latest upgrade to Ethereum's blockchain: Ethereum 2.0

Ethereum 2.0

Charting the progress of Ethereum's critical upgrade

<ul>
<li>The Ethereum Foundation has boosted its rewards for bugs discovered in code related to the upcoming merge.</li>
<li>“Critical bugs” disclosed to the network’s developers could net a bug bounty of up to $1 million, up from $250,000.</li>
</ul>

The Ethereum Foundation is quadrupling bug bounties ahead of the network’s long-awaited shift to an energy-efficient model.

Kate Irwin

Coinbase and other crypto exchanges are pausing Ethereum and ERC-20 withdrawals and deposits during the merge. Here's why, and what it means.

Mat Di Salvo

Brian Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase

Brian Armstrong

Coinbase will benefit from Ethereum's "merge" via its staking offering, investment bank JPMorgan said Wednesday.

Vitalik Buterin is a Russian-Canadian programmer and writer who created Ethereum, which he launched in 2015 with seven other cofounders. Buterin was just 18 in 2012 when he first became involved with cryptocurrency and launched Bitcoin Magazine.

Vitalik Buterin

Ethereum's only 40% complete. After the Ethereum merge, Vitalik Buterin says there will be many more phases, which all have rhyming names.

Jason Nelson

Ethereum Classic (ETC) is an open-source blockchain platform designed to run smart contracts. It emerged as a fork in 2016 from Ethereum following a dispute over how to best resolve a hack that stole over $50 million.
In nearly every respect, it is a dead ringer for its parent, Ethereum. It differs, however, in several respects, chief among which is the existence of a hard cap on its currency—210 million.


Ethereum Classic

As the Ethereum merge approaches, the hash rate of ETC hits an all-time high, which reduces the risks of a "51% attack."

Andrew Throuvalas

Glassnode suggests Ethereum options traders are looking "extremely bullish" for September, but leaning bearish again after the merge.

Editors' Picks

<ul>
<li>Ethereum is about to execute its long-awaited “merge” that will dramatically cut down the environmental impact of the network. </li>
<li>There may be forked versions of Ethereum, which could cause confusion and lead to scams as duplicated NFT assets enter the market.</li>
</ul>

Are your Ethereum NFTs safe after the merge? What’s up with duplicate NFTs on forked chains? Here's what you need to know.

Stephen Graves

Robert Stevens

In September 2022, the Ethereum mainnet merged with the Beacon Chain, completing the blockchain's transition from proof of work to proof of stake.

Sander Lutz

The announcement from Coinbase comes as ETHW, a proposed proof-of-work Ethereum alternative, has plunged 93% in daily trading volume.

Just weeks away from the historic event, experts discuss technical and political risks that could stem from the Ethereum merge.