Just as Ethereum celebrates its 10th anniversary, Bitget Wallet CMO Jamie Elcarre believes that the next decade of Ethereum will not be defined solely by ETFs and institutional adoption, but by how Ethereum is accessible to everyday users through crypto wallets.
In a recently published OPED, Elkare explores Ethereum’s transformation from an innovative smart contract platform to globally traded financial assets. However, he warned that without major changes in the user experience there is a risk that the protocol will be detached from its original mission.
Ethereum’s “quiet pivot” from utility to product
Ethereum undoubtedly changed the blockchain landscape. It has secured more than $500 billion in value and powered thousands of distributed applications (DAPPS). However, Elkaleh points out that while Ethereum’s financial footprint is growing, its real-world utilities remain limited to mainstream users.
“Most people don’t experience Ethereum in their daily lives. They experience it through price charts, gas fees and trading dashboards,” writes Elkare. Instead of serving as an open infrastructure for global finance, Ethereum is now acting like a “productive product.”
More than $5.4 billion has flowed into ETH ETFs in July, with several public companies adding ETH to their balance sheets, resulting in a surge in institutional interest. Elkale calls this a “quiet pivot.” This outlook is valuable, but he believes it will be functionally distant from everyday users.
Crypto wallet is the new front door
Elkale believes that crypto wallets, not ETFs or staking yields, will determine the true trajectory of Ethereum in the coming years.
“Crypto wallets are where users trade, store, pay and explore Web3. They are also where complexity lives: gas setup, signing, bridging and approval,” he says. Today’s crypto wallets have evolved far beyond key management and are becoming user-centric gateways to the on-chain economy.
New features such as smart contract wallets, gas restaurant transactions, embedded DAPP, and AI-guided UX will help bridge the gap between technological infrastructure and intuitive user experiences, especially in emerging markets where crypto wallets are considered financial lifelines.
Define future choices for Ethereum
As Ethereum enters its second year, Elcarre highlights the forks on the road ahead. Networks can evolve as open infrastructure for everyday users and real-world utilities, or continue their value with paths that are locked to contracts and ETF vault staking.
“Both passes are valuable.” Elcarre writes, “But only one leads to mainstream relevance.” He concludes by reaffirming Bitget Wallet’s mission to make Crypto simple, convenient and accessible.
“Ethereum’s promise has always been more than a market cycle. It’s about rethinking what financial infrastructure looks like, what is open, programmable and accessible to everyone.”
Related: Bitget Partners of Zurich University Blockchain Summer School offers scholarships
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