The Ethereum ecosystem stands at a pivotal moment. Over the past four years, scaling challenges have been met through layer 2 (L2), rolls and technological breakthroughs, going from the treatment of 15 transactions per second to thousands, with Costs going from $ 50 per exchange to single hundred. The roadmap centered on the bearing worked – it worked almost too well.
This success has introduced an unexpected challenge: fragmentation. With more than 50 L2 and more in development, Ethereum has become a maze of isolated chains. Users now juggle several networks, assets bridge and sail on complex processes to carry out basic actions.
Irony? Transactions can be faster and cheaper, but the overall user experience is zero!
The cost of fragmentation
Fragmentation is more than a minor disadvantage – it becomes an existential threat to the future of Ethereum. Users are confronted with intimidating tasks of managing several networks, stewing of assets and the execution of complex processes. A simple action, such as the purchase of a token, may require changing networks, the stewing of assets and several transactions. Each step introduces friction, confusion and error opportunities.
The impact on liquidity is even more serious. Capital is trapped in silos, reducing market efficiency and increasing costs for all participants. Defi protocols find it difficult to maintain deep liquidity on several channels, forcing users at lower prices or with convoluted multi-plans.
For developers, the situation is just as difficult. Choose L2 to support, manage several deployments and create complex bristing infrastructure stifles innovation and increases obstacles to the entry of new projects.
ERC-7683: The standard for a unified Ethereum
This is why we, through, alongside the Laboratoires Uniswap, have proposed ERC-7683, a standard which allows web3 applications to express complex transactions in multi-tables as a single user request which is executed by a network shared with relays. Standing how these requests are expressed, ERC -7683 allows any transverse action in the Ethereum ecosystem – whatever the original or destination chain – to feel as transparent as operating on a single chain.
The ERC-7683 standard has undergone several community feedback cycles and is largely supported by more than 50 protocols, including major projects such as arbitrum, base and optimism and it has the support of the L2 Interop working group of the Ethereum Foundation Foundation.
Basically, ERC-7683 simplifies transverse operations. Instead of manually managing switches and network bridges, users express what they want to achieve. For example, the exchange of tokens on the basis using arbitrum funds becomes a process with one click. Behind the scenes, a network of competitive breeds races to make these intentions in a few seconds, managing all the complexity.
This architecture based on the intentions separates the desired result of the user from the mechanical execution, eliminating the need for users to understand or interact with the bridges. The result is a “home base” experience, where users can interact with the entire Ethereum ecosystem as if it were a chain.
Some maintain that users do not care about the cross channel – they just want things to work. They are absolutely right. This is precisely where the ERC-7683 comes into play. It allows developers to summarize all the complexity of the chain while taking advantage of the scale and the efficiency of a multi-chain ecosystem. Users benefit from the best of both worlds: the simplicity of a chain with the power of many.
The ERC-7683 is not theoretical, it is already used in production through implementation, which has treated more than $ 18 billion in transversal volume. The standard is based on years of development of “solver network through”, extending it in an open and flexible framework on which others can rely.
A vision for 2025: an Ethereum
Imagine Ethereum in 2025: users open their wallets and see all their active in each chain at the same view. They interact with any application on any L2 without ever thinking about the bridging or network switching. Developers create applications once and in a transparent manner for users around the world. Liquidity circulates freely through the ecosystem, maximizing the effectiveness of the capital and minimizing costs.
It’s not just a dream – it becomes reality. ERC-7683 offers transversal execution speeds of two seconds necessary for transparent experiences. And by normalizing transverse interactions, it allows a new generation of applications that treat the entire Ethereum ecosystem as canvas.
Beyond technology: the path to mass adoption
Although the ERC-7683 is a technical standard, its implications extend beyond technology. By solving fragmentation, he tackles one of the most important obstacles to traditional adoption. DEFI becomes more accessible when users no longer need to navigate in L2 and bridges. Liquidity improves as the assets move transparently on the markets. Participation in governance becomes more inclusive because users can vote from any network.
This unified experience positions Ethereum to continue directing as a Pioneer Web3 protocol. While other channels optimize for speed in a single network, Ethereum builds a unified ecosystem that combines the advantages of L2 specialized with the simplicity of a single chain.
The time to act is now
ERC-7683 obtained wide support of more than 45 teams, notably Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon and Zksync, reflecting the preparation of the Ethereum community to fight against fragmentation. Unified standards, shared infrastructure and collaboration are crucial to overcome these challenges.
With the rapid L2s, the abstraction of the accounts and the bridging based on the intention already in place, ERC-7683 integrates these innovations into a coherent standard, preparing the land for the next chapter of Ethereum.
Fragmentation cannot be authorized to hinder Ethereum’s progress. The adoption of the ERC-7683 is essential to build a unified and accessible ecosystem. The L2, developers and the community in general are encouraged to adopt this standard to unlock the full potential of Ethereum as an evolving and transparent system by 2025.
Let’s make it happen.
