Ethereum's mainnet achieved a historic milestone on January 14, 2026, processing a record-breaking 2,595,176 daily transactions. This figure, reported by Etherscan, marks a significant all-time high and demonstrates a substantial increase in network usage compared to the same period last year.
The surge in activity was accompanied by a remarkable influx of new users, with 481,481 new addresses created on the same day. This dual growth indicates both increased transaction frequency from existing users and strong onboarding of new participants into the Ethereum ecosystem. Experts view this as a key indicator of the network's accelerating adoption and ecosystem maturity.
The record volume is attributed to widespread growth across several sectors, including DeFi applications, NFT transactions, on-chain gaming, and enterprise use cases. Notably, this peak occurred despite the growing adoption of Layer 2 scaling solutions, underscoring Ethereum's enduring role as core blockchain infrastructure.
Recent protocol upgrades, such as Pectra and Fusaka, are cited as major contributors to the network's appeal by enhancing scalability and efficiency. These improvements have led to significantly reduced transaction costs, with the average fee reported at approximately $0.17 during this period of high activity.
Market analysts note that the increased transaction volume could positively impact Ethereum's network revenue and validator earnings in the long term. The financial markets reacted to the performance, with ETH prices trading between $2,981 and $3,100. Some analysts suggest this robust network activity could support future price movements toward the $3,300 to $4,000 range.
Crypto Tice, an analyst from the Crypto Community, commented: "The recent transaction records amidst low fees indicate renewed confidence in Ethereum's efficiency, especially following the recent upgrades." The event marks a shift from previous peaks in 2024-2025, which were characterized by higher fees and migration to Layer 2s, signaling a robust return to economical mainnet usage.
