Ethereum’s main network processed a record two point two million transactions in a single day this week.
The milestone was recorded on Tuesday according to data from Etherscan.
Average transaction fees on the Ethereum mainnet fell to roughly seventeen cents.
The figure marks a sharp contrast from historic fee levels on the network.
Ethereum transactions were most expensive in May twenty twenty two.
During that period average fees exceeded two hundred dollars per transaction.
Since then transaction costs have steadily declined despite rising usage.
Network upgrades have helped improve efficiency and reduce congestion.
Fees were still above eight dollars as recently as October ten.
That spike coincided with a major market wide liquidation event.
Historically high fees pushed users toward cheaper layer two solutions.
Recent data suggests users are returning to Ethereum’s layer one.
The increase in mainnet activity signals renewed confidence among users.
Developers are also increasingly selecting Ethereum as a settlement layer.
Token Terminal data showed strong growth in smart contract deployment.
Eight point seven million new smart contracts were created in the fourth quarter.
The rise marked a quarterly record for Ethereum development activity.
Two major protocol upgrades were implemented on Ethereum during twenty twenty five.
The Pectra upgrade launched in May focused on validator improvements.
It also introduced greater flexibility for staking participants.
Pectra prepared the network for future scalability enhancements.
The Fusaka upgrade delivered a significant increase in the gas limit.
The gas limit rose from forty five million to sixty million units.
The change expanded the number of transactions per block.
Fusaka also improved data handling and overall network efficiency.
In February more than half of Ethereum validators backed the gas increase.
Validator support signalled confidence in higher throughput capacity.
Ethereum’s staking metrics also shifted this week.
The staking queue showed more Ether waiting to enter than exit.
It marked the first such reversal in six months.
Nearly twice as much Ether is currently queued for staking.
Unstaking is often viewed as a signal of intent to sell.
Staking is generally interpreted as long term confidence in the network.
Analysts said the trend suggests improving sentiment around Ethereum.
At the time of reporting, Ethereum price was $2,972.26.