Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has been active on-chain, recently executing the sale of various digital assets before moving the proceeds through the Railgun privacy protocol. Records show that approximately $560,000 in USDC and 27 ETH were transferred using these privacy tools, highlighting a continued focus on transactional anonymity by high-profile figures. Beyond his personal finances, Buterin has also been advocating for prediction markets, describing them as a necessary tool for rationalizing public opinion in the social media era. This combination of technical privacy usage and social commentary reflects his broader vision for the Ethereum ecosystem as a foundation for both financial and social infrastructure. The Ethereum Foundation has outlined a strategic pivot for the network's future, moving its primary focus from transaction speed to core security as it looks toward 2026. A major part of this roadmap is the "Glamsterdam" upgrade, which is specifically designed to mitigate the abuse of Maximum Extractable Value on the network. Furthermore, the foundation intends to implement strict 128-bit encryption rules to ensure long-term resistance against emerging computational threats. This shift suggests that the developers are prioritizing the stability and integrity of the chain over raw performance metrics in the coming years. Such a fundamental change in direction could redefine how institutional users perceive the safety of the Ethereum network for high-value applications$ETH
Ethereum co-founder recently stated that privacy features will become the next major development direction for the Ethereum ecosystem. This judgment is very interesting as on-chain activity increases, users' demand for transaction privacy is also continuously rising. Currently, most public chain transactions are open and transparent, which is actually a pain point for institutional users and privacy-conscious participants. Once the privacy layer is improved, it can not only attract more institutional-level participants but also expand Ethereum's scenarios in finance and business applications. From a technical perspective, the maturity of privacy protocols has already seen significant improvement, and the timing for integration into the main chain seems to be approaching. If this trend truly explodes, it could change the competitive landscape of the entire ecosystem. $ETH #ETH