Gas fees on the Ethereum layer-1 blockchain dropped to just 0.067 Gwei on Sunday, amid a lull in the crypto markets sparked by October’s historic market crash. At the time of writing, the average price for executing a swap on Ethereum is just $0.11, non-fungible token (NFT) sales carry a fee of $0.19, bridging a digital asset to another blockchain network costs users $0.04, and on-chain borrowing fees are around $0.09, according to Etherscan.
Ethereum network transaction fees hit a recent high of 15.9 Gwei on October 10, the day of the market flash crash that caused some altcoins to shed over 90% of their value within 24 hours. However, by October 12, fees dropped back down to just 0.5 Gwei and have mostly remained well below 1 Gwei throughout October and November.
Investors and traders may take advantage of the low transaction fees to execute on-chain transactions on the base layer. However, analysts and crypto industry executives warn that the excessively low fees might spell trouble for the Ethereum ecosystem.
### Ethereum Fees Hover Near Pennies as Daily Transactions Top 1.6 Million
The Ethereum base layer has experienced a significant loss of revenue since 2024. During the 2021 bull run, transaction fees on Ethereum’s layer-1 could cost users $150 or more during times of network congestion. However, following the Ethereum Dencun upgrade in March 2024—which lowered transaction fees for Ethereum’s layer-2 scaling networks—fees contracted significantly, causing Ethereum’s revenue to decline by 99%.
Critics argue that such low network fees are unsustainable for any blockchain network and present both financial and security challenges. The reduced revenue undermines incentives for validators or miners to process transactions and secure the blockchain. Since fees are responsive to user demand, low fees and revenues could also signal that users are moving away from a particular blockchain network.
Ethereum, in particular, has adopted a scaling strategy that relies on an ecosystem of separate layer-2 networks. This approach represents a double-edged sword, according to research from crypto exchange Binance. While layer-2 networks allow Ethereum to scale and compete with newer, high-throughput chains, these networks are also cannibalizing revenue from the base layer. This dynamic creates additional competition for Ethereum within its own ecosystem.
As Ethereum continues to evolve, balancing scalability, security, and revenue generation remains a critical challenge for the community and developers alike.
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/ethereum/ethereum-gas-fees-drop-well-below-1-gwei-in-november-2/
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