Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed creating an on-chain futures market for gas fees to provide users with greater certainty regarding transaction costs amid the network’s growing popularity. In a social media post, Buterin emphasized the urgent need for a “trustless on-chain gas futures market” that could eliminate the uncertainty of gas fees despite current strategies aimed at reducing prices. He suggested allowing users to lock in prices for specific future periods, thereby protecting them from price volatility. Buterin highlighted the importance of focusing on Ethereum’s base fees, which constitute a significant portion of overall gas costs. Traditional futures markets offer contracts to buy or sell assets at predetermined future prices, helping with speculation and risk management; similarly, an Ethereum gas futures market would provide fixed prices for future periods to shield users from sudden fee spikes. A stable futures market would serve as a critical indicator within the Ethereum ecosystem, aiding speculation, planning, and development. According to Buterin, it would give users clear signals about future gas fee expectations and enable advance payment for gas quantities at set times. This is particularly valuable for high-volume network users such as traders, developers, applications, and institutions seeking predictable operational expenses. The proposal comes amid observed reductions in Ethereum gas fees during 2025, with current average fees for basic transactions around 0.474 gwei or approximately $0.01, and more complex transactions like token swaps, NFT sales, and asset transfers averaging about $0.16, $0.27, and $0.05 respectively. However, significant fee volatility has persisted, with prices experiencing multiple sharp rises and falls. This new futures market could play a vital role in enhancing ecosystem stability and enabling users to better forecast costs, thereby supporting further development of the Ethereum network.
Source: binance
