Robinhood\'s Ethereum layer-2 network has expanded rapidly since its July 1 launch, lifting optimism about the Ethereum ecosystem. More than $141 million of ETH has been bridged in and wallets holding ETH have topped 500,000, while daily DEX volume has at times exceeded Ethereum mainnet and Coinbase\'s Base. Some see the project as a milestone for institutional adoption, but others argue L2 revenue contributes little to Ethereum mainnet so far.

Asset manager 21Shares trimmed some bullish forecasts for the crypto industry, saying market weakness and slower retail participation make parts of its 2026 targets harder to reach. It said industry infrastructure such as ETFs, stablecoin regulation, tokenisation and prediction markets has matured faster than price performance. The firm said bitcoin’s four-year cycle remains intact, while institutional ownership may have softened drawdowns without changing the cycle.