Ethereum network activity has surged over the past month, driven by a significant influx of new users rather than increased participation from existing accounts. According to on-chain analytics firm Glassnode, the network’s “activity retention” metric nearly doubled, climbing from just over 4 million to around 8 million active addresses in 30 days. The increase reflects a rise in first-time interacting wallets, signaling broader adoption across the ecosystem.
Ethereum’s Month-over-Month Activity Retention shows a sharp spike in the “New” cohort, indicating a surge in first-time interacting addresses over the past 30 days.
This reflects a notable influx of new wallets engaging with the Ethereum network, rather than activity being… pic.twitter.com/h8Zw7hXOSX— glassnode (@glassnode) January 15, 2026
Glassnode noted that activity retention measures whether users continue to engage with the network over time, providing a clearer view of sustained usage rather than short-lived spikes. The data suggests Ethereum is attracting new participants at a faster pace, reinforcing its role as core infrastructure for decentralized applications, payments, and stablecoin settlement.
Transactions Reach Record Levels
Daily transactions on Ethereum also climbed to an all-time high of approximately 2.8 million, marking a 125% increase from the same period last year. Data from blockchain explorers shows active addresses exceeding 1 million in mid-January, more than double year-ago levels. Analysts attribute much of the growth to rising stablecoin usage as transaction costs on Ethereum decline.
Lower fees have been supported by Ethereum’s scaling strategy, which pushes execution to layer-2 networks while maintaining settlement security on the main chain. This structure has allowed stablecoin transfers and decentralized finance activity to expand without materially increasing congestion on the base layer. Institutional participants have increasingly pointed to this model as a blueprint for scalable financial infrastructure.
Institutional and Macro Context
The rise in network usage comes amid improving sentiment toward Ethereum following a period of underperformance relative to other digital assets. Staking levels have continued to rise, with nearly 36 million ether now locked, tightening liquid supply while reinforcing network security. At the same time, steady inflows into ether-linked exchange-traded products have added a layer of institutional participation.
Competition among smart contract platforms remains intense, but Ethereum’s entrenched developer base, liquidity depth, and stablecoin dominance continue to differentiate it from rival networks. While market prices remain sensitive to broader macroeconomic conditions and risk appetite, the underlying growth in user activity suggests Ethereum’s utility-driven adoption remains intact as blockchain-based financial infrastructure matures.
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