Catenaa, Sunday, July 13, 2025-Ethereum has nearly caught up with Bitcoin in futures trading volume, with the ETH/BTC volume ratio soaring to 98%, its highest level in nearly a year.
The surge marks a dramatic turnaround from October 2024, when Ethereum’s share in the futures market hit a low of 42% amid mounting skepticism over its relevance in a crowded smart contract landscape.
The shift signals renewed investor confidence in Ethereum, bolstered by steady Layer 2 adoption, a refocused development push, and growing decentralized finance (DeFi) activity on-chain.
According to The Block’s latest data, this near-parity suggests a broad rotation of risk appetite among traders, who are now betting that Ethereum can outperform Bitcoin in the coming quarters.
The 2024 slump stemmed from concerns over Ethereum’s high transaction fees, increasing competition from rival Layer 1 chains, and a slower-than-expected path toward ETF approval.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin surged ahead as a favored institutional asset, aided by a wave of ETF inflows and growing macro appeal.
But sentiment has shifted. With Ethereum’s infrastructure maturing and its staking ecosystem expanding, derivatives traders are now positioning themselves for renewed upside.
The recent resurgence comes as the market braces for a new wave of crypto ETFs, potentially including Solana and XRP, that may fragment speculative interest across assets.
Still, Ethereum’s developer moat, established DeFi protocols, and institutional familiarity appear to be restoring its status as the leading alternative to Bitcoin.
