The Year in Ethereum 2025: Institutions Embrace ETH as the 'Ivory Tower' Crumbles

Core Insights - Ethereum has made significant progress in gaining acceptance among centralized institutions in 2025, a year marked by major regulatory changes in the crypto industry [2][3] - The network's builders have historically focused on technical achievements and decentralization, but this year has seen a shift towards broader economic and political engagement [1][2] Group 1: Institutional Adoption - Centralized institutions are urgently expanding their businesses onto blockchain networks, with a notable preference for Ethereum's multi-layer network model [5][6] - Major financial players, including Fidelity and SWIFT, have chosen Ethereum for their tokenization projects, indicating a strong institutional validation of the network [6][7] - The trend of adopting Ethereum has occurred organically, driven by its perceived suitability for business rather than through aggressive marketing efforts [5][6] Group 2: Global Reach - Financial institutions from various regions, including Upbit in South Korea, Ant Group in China, and Amundi in Europe, have engaged in tokenization projects using Ethereum [7] - The success of Ethereum in institutional settings is exemplified by the establishment of layer-2 networks, such as Base, which have gained traction in Wall Street circles [6][7]