The L1 vs. L2 Showdown
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- 🪙 Bitcoin’s February Performance Marks Worst Since Mt. Gox. Hovering around $80,000, the OG crypto is reeling from weak macro sentiment and reduced institutional flows.
- 📈 CME Group to Launch Solana Futures on March 17. The derivatives giant is expanding beyond Bitcoin and Ether with two contract sizes, amid growing institutional interest and pending regulatory approval.
- 🏛️ Ex-Congressman McHenry Joins Ondo Finance as Senior Advisor.
The crypto advocate aims to drive regulatory clarity and tokenized-asset adoption, adding to his advisory roles with A16Z and Stripe.
| Prices as of 5pm ET | 24hr | 7d |
|
Crypto $2.78T | ↗ 0.4% | ↘ 13.9% |
|
BTC $83,819 | ↗ 1.2% | ↘ 11.9% |
|
ETH $2,206 | ↘ 2.5% | ↘ 16.2% |
Over the past year, enthusiasm for Layer 2 rollups — long praised for their scalability, lower fees, and rapid launches — has significantly cooled off.
Over 140 L2s are live, yet fewer than half exceed $10M in TVL, fueling consensus that the ecosystem is oversaturated, with Ethereum’s underperformance further dampening the mood. Meanwhile, “alt” L1s — most notably Solana, though also Sui and Hyperliquid — have demonstrated remarkable economic potential in both fundamental growth and token price, prompting many to consider a fresh L1 more compelling than yet another L2.
Against this backdrop, choosing between launching or investing in an L2 or an L1 is less obvious than a year ago. Although L2s once dominated headlines, oversaturation and ETH’s underperformance continue fueling interest in L1s, whose economics, design freedom, and competitive advantages may now look more attractive.
Let's dive in here and help you get a clearer picture of the current tradeoffs between new L1s and new L2s! 👇
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