How the Next 10 Years Might Look

To understand Ethereum’s future, it helps to start with its creator, Vitalik Buterin. Before launching Ethereum in 2015, he saw blockchains not just as the foundation for digital money, but as tools for identity, coordination, public trust and more.

In a 2021 interview on The Tim Ferriss Show, Buterin described Ethereum as “dynamic and growing… an evolving creature.” That adaptive nature still defines the network today.

On its 10-year anniversary, we asked voices from across the community: What might the next decade look like?

Consensys: Ethereum as “Trustware” 

Founded by Ethereum co-creator Joseph Lubin, Consensys has been instrumental in shaping the network’s infrastructure. In its latest report, the Foundation outlines an ambitious roadmap for Ethereum’s future.

We spoke with chief economist Mallesh Pai, one of the report’s authors, about Ethereum’s long-term trajectory:

“Over the next 5–10 years, Ethereum will go from the world’s leading smart contract platform to the base layer of the future global economy… Growth will be driven by the digitization of assets, starting with stablecoins and moving up the risk stack from there.”

As assets migrate onchain, Pai said, commerce will follow. But he emphasized that this advantage depends on both current contributors and a new generation of institutional and commercial builders.

Institutional confidence: GameSquare’s bet on ETH

While Bitcoin (BTC) is more commonly seen among publicly traded companies’ treasury assets, many are adopting Ether (ETH) Ethereum’s native token. Digital media and technology company GameSquare is among those betting big on Ethereum’s long-term future.

“We invested in ETH because we believe it’s the most credible long-term digital asset aligned with where the internet is headed.” While other chains may offer lower fees or faster speeds, Ethereum leads because of its “community and composability,” GameSquare’s CEO, Justin Kenna, told Cointelegraph.

Ethereum is evolving into “the financial and cultural backbone of the internet—powering everything from global payments and asset management to entertainment IP, gaming economies, and digital identity,” Kenna said. “It will be the infrastructure layer that powers how major global brands connect with their audiences.”

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