Ethereum L1 sets 2025 record after Pectra and Fusaka upgrades
Ethereum’s Layer 1 network processed a record daily number of transactions, driven by two 2025 upgrades — Pectra and Fusaka.
On December 22, Ethereum L1 set a new performance record, registering the highest daily transaction count of 2025.
“Yesterday Ethereum processed 1,913,481 transactions with an average fee of $0.16. Ethereum is scaling,” Etherscan reported on X.
Ethereum community members believe the record transaction volume in 2025 is the result of a combination of high throughput and low costs, directly enabled by two major network upgrades rolled out this year: Pectra, which optimized Layer 2 interactions, and Fusaka, which increased block size by roughly 33%.
However, the Fusaka upgrade, launched earlier this month, is considered the most likely and immediate reason behind the new record, as it directly expanded Ethereum L1 blockchain capacity. This increase may seem modest, but it allowed the L1 network to fit significantly more transactions into each block. Previously, all nodes were required to download all data, which created a bottleneck.
Fusaka introduced PeerDAS, a new feature that allows nodes to verify “data blocks” — large chunks of transactional data — by sampling only tiny portions of them. Data blocks function like additional blocks attached to the main block, transmitting data cheaply without competing with regular transactions.
The Fusaka upgrade followed Pectra, rolled out in May, which laid the groundwork for scaling by optimizing how Layer 2 networks like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base interact with the main chain.Pectra doubled the number of these “sidecars” from three to six per block. With suddenly more room for Layer 2 data, settlement costs for L2 activity on Ethereum decreased.
Challenges remain despite upgrades
These upgrades helped keep the overall network uncongested and reduced average gas fees. However, scaling challenges in the ecosystem still remain. It is also worth noting that the Ethereum ecosystem is generally fragmented, and users still struggle to work with Layer 2 solutions due to complex bridges and routing processes.
Additionally, every time a new L2 emerges, the database of all accounts, balances, and smart contracts — the “State” — continues to grow. If this continues, the State could reach terabytes or even petabytes in size. If it becomes too large, ordinary users will no longer be able to afford storage to run a node.
Nevertheless, despite fragmentation concerns, Ethereum continues to attract institutional players.
As we wrote, Ethereum founder backs prediction markets over social media narratives
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