Ethereum 2.0 Testnet Is Advancing, Gains 22,000 Validators

The updated Ethereum 2.0 testnet is advancing since it attracted more than 22,000 validators and the shift to proof-of-stake is yet to be fulfilled but there are a lot of signs of growing interest as we can read more in the ethereum news today.

Ethereum has not really moved fast from mining to staking as it was promised but the network did take a series of baby steps. In the meantime, the entities interested in ETH economics tried to remain one step further by simply testing the staking mechanisms that were offered. Prysmatic Labs even launched one of the largest testnets which surpassed the single-client tests. The Ethereum 2.0 testnet is advancing despite being launched at the beginning of the month. The developer of Prysmatic, Preston Van Loon, commented:

“Just saw nearly 100% participation from over 22k active validators on the world’s first boneless ETH2 testnet. These are 22k validating keys. It’s probably between 5 to 10 individual operators. Maybe more, but it’s hard to tell who controls keys and who’s just an observer.’’

Prysmatic even launched the largest testnet so far and thus encouraged the future of the second-largest crypto network. The platform even called for the hackers to try and exploit the network since moving to Ethereum 2.0 on the actual live network will be very high-stakes even which will affect the wider ecosystem of games, exchange apps, and finance. However, the exact number of participants is lower which shows that moving to the stake, the supporters of Ethereum may be quite low at the start. The move to staking will also displace the well-developed mining ecosystem for the Ethash rigs.

Buterin roughly estimated that by moving to a staking model it could lock up about 10 million ETH and with the annual inflation, the ETH will be slightly increased and the annualized interest rate will be still at 6% so the network will have to find a better sport for the number of stakers. The ETH rewards for staking will be variable and with more ETH staked, the fewer rewards will be proportionally distributed. Ethereum 2.0 has been announced for over a year and based on the predictions, the launch could come in about six months, with more delays expected.