What Is the Impact of The Ethereum Merge on Business?

The first stage of the Ethereum Merge, called Bellatrix, was executed on September 6, 2022, consolidating the proof-of-work chain. Equally, the long wait for the Paris upgrade is now over, as the final stage was concluded on September 15, marking the end of mining on the blockchain. The Merger represents the fusion of two blockchain systems – the Ethereum Mainnet and the Beacon Chain. Years ago, the community decided to transition from the proof-of-work to the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism because it’s more secure, less energy-intensive, and more suitable for implementing scaling solutions. Developers plan to include multiple changes in the Ethereum network. The following network upgrade is the Shanghai Upgrade, consisting of proto-danksharding, a route to implement the complete sharding roadmap.

Many rely on Ethereum to conduct business, so let’s understand the impact of the Merge for business use cases.

Ethereum 2.0 Is More Environmentally Friendly Than Pow

Ethereum runs across a network of computers, but it can be bought and sold via exchanges like Binance and stored in wallets. The Ethereum price is updated in real-time. As a database, the Ethereum blockchain stores information by means of electronic equipment and devices, guaranteeing the fidelity and security of the recorded data. Ethereum no longer uses proof-of-work as part of its consensus mechanism, meaning that it no longer requires the use of tremendous computational power. Its energy consumption has been reduced by roughly 99,95%, so operations can continue more resource-efficiently. Staking is 2,000 times more efficient as compared to traditional mining, so producing intangible virtual currencies doesn’t result in tons of carbon emissions.

Ethereum’s electricity use has dropped overnight, which has attracted corporations previously hesitant to invest in digital assets on account of environmental, social, and governance mandates or climate concerns. Environmentally conscious investors and stakeholders share people’s interest in protecting the planet at a time when it’s becoming increasingly urgent. By using blockchain technology, enterprises can make their operations more sustainable and help create a better world. All participants in the network see what’s happening and monitor progress, so Ethereum is able to create transparency and trust. Nevertheless, companies need to find other ways to cut emissions.

A Transaction Can Be Processed in About 5 Minutes

The speed of transactions matters in today’s business, which is all about efficiency. Visa, for instance, can process up to 24,000 transactions per second, while Mastercard’s transaction throughput is 5,000 transactions per second. Following the Merge, Ethereum is now able to process anywhere between 20,000 and 100,000 transactions per second. Attention must be paid to the fact that it might take a couple of years to reach the maximum capacity. As far as security is concerned, it’s virtually impossible for any third party to interfere, but even if a malicious attacker would get their hands on Ether, they would lose the funds once the fraud becomes widely known or evident.

The Merge Has Changed Ether’s Tokenomics

Tokenomics, commonly referred to as token economics, covers all aspects of Ethereum, including its supply, distribution, and yields. Ethereum features smart contracts with various utilities, such as facilitating DApps, which come in the shape of decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and so forth. Fees are determined by the amount of network traffic, the supply of validators, and the demand for transaction verification, among other things. If you look at the numbers, transaction fees are now lower than a year ago, so users can take advantage of base-layer security with minimal transaction fees, meaning no ETH is burnt.

In the new proof-of-stake approach, it’s easier for validators to mine on competing branches intended to maximize transaction incentives, so the amount of new Ether issued to reward this kind of work is lower. It’s expected that ETH will become deflationary in the long term, becoming more valuable for users. It’s important to keep in mind that this may or may not become a reality, and if this is the case, there will probably be fewer users willing to take advantage of the higher-value coin. What is certain is that fewer tokens will be in circulation, which might help drive the price of Ether.

There Are Lower Barriers to Entry to Stake Ethereum

Ethereum completing the largest protocol change in history is good news for businesses invested in the future of blockchain technology. More exactly, the Ethereum network is now stronger and more resilient against security attacks. Companies can invest their excess cash in offsetting some of their operating losses and increasing their balance sheet; while this sounds complicated, it’s much easier than most think it is. To take part in validating transactions, it’s not mandatory to have a highly specialized machine, but technical know-how is still required. Ethereum staking involves locking up coins for a specific amount of time, during which it’s not possible to do anything with the digital assets.

Conclusion

If your organization is ready for innovation, you must know that Ethereum can serve as a private and public blockchain alike, and it’s not necessary to replace internal systems or build consortium blockchains. By using Ethereum 2.0, you can treat business integrations like workgroups and channels that are effortless to create, recreate, and combine. If you need a helping hand, you can find experienced professionals for almost every department and rank, so make sure expertise isn’t limited to a few programmers with an impressive social media following. Each enterprise solution can be customized to interoperate with other blockchain projects, which allows for expansion and future adaptation.

Many agree that the Ethereum Merge is just the beginning, embodying the difference between the early-stage network and the Ethereum people have always wanted (dreamed of). It just goes to show the potential of Ethereum. As the rest of the roadmap continues to unfold, we’ll most likely see new real-world use case examples in Web 3.0. Some corporations might choose to integrate Ethereum with their products or behind the scenes, while others might want to build new business models. What about you? It’s too soon to decide what to do, so take your time. You need visionaries to use blockchain to its fullest.