Cryptocurrency Market Resurgence Boosts Ethereum and Memecoin Sentiment

Elliot Graves | ALTCOINS | EN | July 26, 2025
Ethereum's Layer 2 Ecosystem Drives Blockchain Scalability
Ethereum's Layer 2 (L2) ecosystem is witnessing accelerated growth in blockchain scalability and accessibility, with networks like Arbitrum and Optimism leading the way. The surge in transaction capacity, amounting to 17 times the previous levels, has resulted in significantly reduced fees for users. Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum's co-founder, emphasized these advancements in 2025, noting that L2s have achieved critical decentralization milestones and secured over $42 billion in value. This shift not only lowers costs for users but also enhances activity in decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), while alleviating congestion on Ethereum's Layer 1 chain.
The success story of QuickSwap, a DeFi exchange on Coinbase's Base Network, exemplifies the momentum within Ethereum's L2 ecosystem. QuickSwap reported a Total Value Locked (TVL) of $400 million as of July 2025, processing numerous daily transactions through its decentralized exchange, QuickPerps perpetual futures platform, and liquidity pools offering APYs of up to 300%. Integration with Base's L2 infrastructure has drastically reduced gas fees to as low as $0.01 per transaction, addressing a major adoption barrier for DeFi.
Joseph Chalom Joins SharpLink Gaming to Deepen Institutional Engagement with Ethereum
Joseph Chalom, the former BlackRock executive known for pioneering Ethereum and Bitcoin exchange-traded products (ETPs), has taken on a new role as Co-CEO at SharpLink Gaming. His appointment, effective July 24, 2025, signifies a strategic shift for the company, which boasts one of the largest corporate Ethereum treasuries. Chalom will leverage his extensive experience in traditional finance and crypto to activate SharpLink's Ethereum holdings through staking, restaking, and yield-generation strategies, aiming to enhance shareholder value. With a treasury valued at $1.3 billion, SharpLink plans to expand its reserves through strategic purchases and yield strategies, leveraging Ethereum's infrastructure to attract institutional capital.
Chalom's track record includes steering partnerships with Nasdaq, Coinbase, and BNY Mellon during his tenure at BlackRock, where he played a key role in developing the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) and the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). His focus at SharpLink will be on positioning the firm as a conduit between institutional capital and Ethereum-native yield opportunities. The move underscores confidence in Ethereum's evolving role in finance, with Chalom emphasizing the blockchain's significance as stablecoins, tokenized assets, and AI agents increasingly migrate to the network.
Pump.fun (PUMP) Sees Upside Potential Amid Market Optimism
The cryptocurrency market has witnessed a resurgence in upside momentum, with Ethereum rebounding over 2% and reclaiming the $3,700 level. This positive sentiment has fueled optimism for major memecoins like Pump.fun (PUMP), which surged 16% in the past 24 hours following a challenging week. The price action suggests a potential continuation of the rally, driven by a classic bullish breakout pattern. PUMP's falling wedge pattern on the 2-hour chart indicates a bullish reversal, with critical support near $0.0023 and a breakout above the $0.0028 resistance level validating the pattern's reliability.
Traders are advised to monitor PUMP's movement above the 50-period moving average (50 MA) at $0.003059, as a confirmed breakout could propel the asset towards the next resistance level near $0.0040. The broader market dynamics, supported by Ethereum's resilience and the memecoin sector's responsiveness to risk-on sentiment, bode well for PUMP's upward trajectory. While volatility remains a factor in the cryptocurrency sector, the technical setup aligns with a narrative of market consolidation and renewed speculative interest, signaling potential opportunities for investors.