9 Jul 2025, 16:07

Is There a Future for DAOs?

The cracks in DAO governance are beginning to show. In the span of a few weeks, two high-profile players—Solana-based exchange Jupiter and NFT conglomerate Yuga Labs—abandoned their DAO structures, issuing blunt statements about dysfunction and disillusionment. Jupiter cited a “breakdown in trust,” while Yuga CEO Greg Solano called Apecoin DAO “sluggish, noisy and often unserious governance theater.” While hundreds of DAOs still operate across crypto with thousands of participants, questions are being raised over whether DAOs, once the beating heart of crypto’s decentralization dream, can flourish in this cycle. DAOs, decentralized autonomous organizations, are blockchain-native governance systems that allow token holders to vote on treasury allocation, protocol upgrades, and more. In the last decade of crypto experimentation, they were heralded as the future of community capitalism. Now, their limitations seem to be catching up with them. “I absolutely understand the frustration with sluggish, broken governance," said Kollan House, founder of MetaDAO. “This is the problem with token voting.” From Political Idealism to Tokenized Theater Originally celebrated as a way to “give a voice to the voiceless,” DAOs have often been criticized for being a legal and financial gray area. By issuing “governance tokens,” many projects found a way to circumvent securities laws, without delivering the accountability or utility those tokens promised. Today, CoinMarketCap lists 273 DAO tokens with a combined market cap of over $21 billion. But those numbers are misleading. Nearly 50% of that value is concentrated in just three tokens—Uniswap (UNI), Aave (AAVE), and Bittensor (TAO). At the other end of the spectrum, 63 DAO tokens are worth less than $1 million, effectively dead-on-chain. Take Mango Markets for example. It was once a bustling decentralized exchange that notched more than 1,000 governance proposals. It now has zero activity after the platform shut down in February, but $19 million worth of MNGO tokens still exist – completely useless. A Broken Model? DAOs were often criticized for “governance theater”—in other words, for appearing to be decentralized and governed by the crowd, but actually being controlled or dictated by a small number of people. DAOs required large numbers of people to participate in order to be effective. But numbers were often lacking, leading to disillusionment. “To vote on anything, you need a quorum. But to reach quorum, you need incentives. And when you start incentivizing voting, you get mercenary participation. Everything works against itself from the start,” House said. Joshua Tan is executive director of Metagov, a research group focused on self-governance. “There are reasonable questions about the value DAOs are actually providing,” Tan, co-author of a recent report on DAO M&A, told CoinDesk. “Grant systems are often inefficient. Governance can be a mess. Still, this doesn’t mean DAOs are done. It just means they’re changing.” In Tan’s view, the struggles of Jupiter and Yuga Labs are symptomatic of deeper systemic issues. But governance failures at particular projects shouldn’t be confused with a failure of the DAO concept itself. Read more: Joshua Tan, Jillian Grennan and Bernard Schmid - The State of DAO M&A “If you compare billion-dollar DAOs to billion-dollar public companies, sure, DAOs look inefficient,” he said. “But so do most corporate boards. Governance is a cost center—not a profit center. That doesn’t mean it’s dispensable.” Not Dead—But Mutating Far from writing off the concept, Tan and House both see a bright future for DAOs—albeit one that looks radically different. House points to futarchy, a governance model where decisions are made based on prediction markets, as a promising evolution. MetaDAO is actively building a fundraising platform rooted in that vision. “We’re solving issues with liquidity, decision making and ownership,” House said. “The goal is to build the organizations of the future from the start.” Tan is focused on infrastructure—developing standards for DAO mergers and acquisitions (M&A), governance tooling, and valuation metrics through Metagov and DAOstar. “We need to build muscles that TradFi has had for decades,” Tan said. “That includes M&A workflows, legal frameworks, and robust metrics—not just relying on TVL.” The regulatory gray zone is another ongoing headwind. While some jurisdictions like Wyoming, Utah, and the Cayman Islands have built legal wrappers for DAOs, others lag behind. And even where structures exist, they're often expensive and impractical for small teams. “We’re still seeing two to three DAO registrations per week in the Caymans,” Tan noted. “These are $50K setups. The fact that people are paying that much tells you DAOs still offer unique advantages.” DAO Consolidation is Coming Both experts agree: a shakeout is inevitable. “We’ll probably end up with 50 to 100 vibrant DAOs,” Tan said. “Just like after the ICO boom, most will disappear. And that’s fine.” What remains will be leaner, better governed, and—hopefully—less performative. Tan sees a future where DAOs don’t disappear, but merge into broader organizational strategies, particularly in the merging of TradFi and DeFi. DAOs could become tools in the corporate stack—used when necessary, ignored when not. “The underlying tech, smart contracts, is here to stay,” he said. “Not everyone wants the ‘movement’ version of DAOs. But the infrastructure layer is decentralized. It’s modular. Companies will choose what fits.” What Happens Now? A good governance system is invisible when it works—and painfully obvious when it doesn’t. That truism now haunts the DAO ecosystem. “The dream of community-led protocols isn't dead,” said House. “But we’re still discovering the right way to build it. And failure is part of that.” “Governance can’t be optional. Without it, you get chaos. But that doesn’t mean the system we’ve built so far is the right one,” Tan said. It remains to be seen whether more DAOs will follow Yuga and Jupiter in shutting down community governance, but one thing is clear. DAOs may be struggling, but they aren’t dead, for now. Read more: What Is a DAO?

9 Jul 2025, 15:00

Ethereum price prediction 2025-2031: Will ETH reach $5,000 soon?

Key takeaways Ethereum price prediction suggests an average market price of $4,735 by the end of 2025. In 2028, Ethereum is anticipated to trade between $10,005 and $11,875, with an average expected price of $10,291 In 2031, ETH could trade between $45,481 and $53,844 with an average price of $46,769. The Ethereum network, launched in 2015, is a decentralized platform that enables developers to create smart contracts and dApps using blockchain technology without intermediaries, enhancing security. The Ethereum blockchain is accessible to everyone and built to support scalability, programmability, security, and decentralization, allowing for the creation of secure digital technology. Its native digital currency, ether (ETH), and smart contracts have attracted investors’ recognition and interest, while developers appreciate its utility in developing blockchain and decentralized finance applications. It also helps traders trade Ethereum more easily So, what can traders and investors expect in the coming months and years? “Is ETH likely to go up? What will ETH be worth in 5 years?” Let’s get into the details by exploring Ethereum’s price predictions from 2025 through 2031. Overview Cryptocurrency Ethereum Token ETH Price $2,623 Market Cap $316.77B Trading Volume (24h) $18.21B Circulating Supply 120.71M ETH All-time High $4,891.70 on Nov 16, 2021 All-time Low $0.4209 on Oct 21, 2015 24-hour High $2,643.10 24-hour Low $2,560.07 Ethereum price prediction: Technical analysis Metric Value Price Volatility $ 2,751.39 (8.96%) 50-day SMA $ 2,561.18 200-day SMA $ 2,336.42 Sentiment Neutral Fear and Greed Index 67 (Greed) Green days 15/30 (50%) 14-day RSI 57.46 Ethereum price analysis ETHUSD 1-day chart ETHUSD chart by TradingView Based on the 1-day chart for Ethereum (ETH) on July 09, the asset is exhibiting signs of renewed bullish momentum. Price action is pressing against the upper Bollinger Band while remaining above the 20-day moving average, signaling short-term strength. The RSI stands at 58.14, suggesting growing buyer interest but not yet in overbought territory. MACD indicators show a bullish crossover with widening divergence, which may indicate an impending upward push. If ETH sustains above $2,600, the next resistance near $2,670 may be tested. However, failure to maintain momentum could invite consolidation between $2,470 and $2,600 in the short term. Bulls remain cautiously optimistic. ETHUSD 4-hour chart analysis ETHUSD chart by TradingView Based on the 4-hour chart for Ethereum (ETH), the price is consolidating just below the upper Bollinger Band near $2,630, hinting at a potential breakout if bullish momentum holds. The MACD shows a bullish crossover with widening lines, indicating upward pressure could persist in the near term. However, the Balance of Power reads slightly negative, suggesting buying pressure is not yet dominant. ETH may aim to test the $2,670 resistance zone, but a failure to sustain above $2,630 could bring a pullback to the $2,567 support. Short-term sentiment remains cautiously bullish with traders eyeing a confirmed breakout above resistance. Ethereum technical indicators: Levels and action Daily simple moving average (SMA) Period Value ($) Action SMA 3 $ 2,296.96 BUY SMA 5 $ 2,452.62 BUY SMA 10 $ 2,484.04 BUY SMA 21 $ 2,463.75 BUY SMA 50 $ 2,561.18 SELL SMA 100 $ 2,248.01 BUY SMA 200 $ 2,336.42 BUY Daily exponential moving average (EMA) Period Value ($) Action EMA 3 $ 2,494.20 SELL EMA 5 $ 2,444.61 BUY EMA 10 $ 2,289.80 BUY EMA 21 $ 2,130.54 BUY EMA 50 $ 2,165.02 BUY EMA 100 $ 2,404.17 BUY EMA 200 $ 2,645.49 SELL What can you expect from the ETH price analysis next? Based on both the 4-hour and 1-day charts for Ethereum (ETH), the market structure appears bullish with signs of strengthening momentum. On the 1-day chart, ETH is trending above the midline of the Bollinger Bands and the MACD histogram is rising, pointing to a growing bullish momentum. RSI near 58 suggests room for further upside before reaching overbought conditions. On the 4-hour chart, price action is pressing against the upper Bollinger Band, while MACD confirms continued upside potential. However, a negative Balance of Power hints at weak buyer dominance. A sustained break above $2,670 could open a path to $2,800. Is ETH a good investment? Ethereum is the largest DeFi hub with a vibrant layer-two ecosystem in the crypto market. The blockchain constantly develops, making it a go-to choice for many Web3 developers. ETH, its native token, shows promise, and the possibility of an Ethereum ETF approval makes it favorable for day traders. Over the long term, explore our price predictions. However, the opinions expressed are not investment advice; traders should consider researching before investing. What is a realistic price for Ethereum in 2025? The realistic price for Ethereum in 2025 is around $5,209 at the maximum. What will 1 Ethereum be worth in 2030? One Ethereum is expected to be worth $37,590, maximum in 2030. How high can ETH realistically go? Ethereum’s price potential depends on multiple factors, including market trends, institutional adoption, network upgrades, and macroeconomic conditions. Realistically, ETH could reach $5,000 to $7,000 in the next bullish cycle if demand increases and Ethereum’s Layer 2 solutions and scalability improvements boost adoption. If institutional interest strengthens, ETH may push past $10,000 over the long term, especially if Ethereum remains the dominant smart contract platform. However, volatility remains a key risk, with price corrections likely along the way. Regulatory clarity and Ethereum’s shift to proof-of-stake (PoS) efficiency could also positively influence its long-term valuation. Will ETH reach $10,000? Ethereum is projected to exceed $10,000 as early as 2027, with its potential low starting at $10,003 and a high of $11,875. Will ETH reach $25,000? Ethereum is predicted to surpass the $25,000 level by 2029 and reach a potential high of $25,413. This optimistic outlook is based on Ethereum’s ongoing development, network security, and increasing adoption. However, cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile, so long-term projections should be cautiously approached. Will ETH reach $40,000? Based on our analysis, Ethereum will likely reach the $40,000 mark. The highest expected price is around $53,844 in 2031. Does Ethereum have a good long-term future? Most well-known altcoins are trading at lower levels, but ETH is trading above its average price of the last two years. However, a positive outbreak can be expected. The ETH/USD pair is expected to reach the $56,126 mark by 2031, so holding it longer can be beneficial. Recent news/ opinion on Ethereum At ETHGlobal, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin emphasized the urgent need for privacy solutions, urging developers to focus on four critical areas: private money, identity, voting, and messaging. He framed privacy as a civilizational priority, particularly for decentralized applications encouraging the ecosystem to build tools that safeguard individual autonomy in an increasingly digital world. "On a civilizational level, there's quite alot of urgency in us figuring out privacy." @VitalikButerin urges builders at ETHGlobal to focus on 4 key categories of privacy apps to help solve for this: 1) private money 2) private identity 3) private voting 4) private messaging pic.twitter.com/1x49zNiVZm — ETHGlobal (@ETHGlobal) May 30, 2025 Ethereum price prediction July 2025 In July 2025, Ethereum is projected to reach a minimum price of $3,772, an average price of $4,125, and a maximum price of $4,243 Price Prediction Potential Low ($) Average Price ($) Potential High ($) July 2025 $3,772 $4,125 $4,243 Ethereum price forecast 2025 Changes within Ethereum itself and the larger market will affect its path in 2025. Vitalik Buterin’s RISC-V project could make Ethereum’s infrastructure stronger, which could bring in more developers and make it easier to scale. If Ethereum can successfully roll out protocol upgrades and more people start using Layer 2, momentum could return. Market rules, business integration, and trends in the crypto industry will also be very important. While positive predictions say prices could reach $6,000, bearish conditions could bring ETH down to $4,578. Year Potential Low ($) Average Price ($) Potential High ($) 2025 $4,578 $4,735 $5,209 Ethereum price predictions 2026 – 2031 Year Potential Low ($) Average Price ($) Potential High ($) 2026 $6,916 $7,153 $8,003 2027 $10,005 $10,291 $11,875 2028 $14,835 $15,247 $17,838 2029 $21,329 $21,939 $25,413 2030 $31,090 $32,187 $37,590 2031 $45,481 $46,769 $53,844 Ethereum price prediction 2026 The lowest price Ethereum is expected to reach in 2026 is $6,916. The ETH price could go as high as $8,003, with an average forecast price of $7,153. Ethereum ETH price prediction 2027 According to the forecast price and technical analysis, Ethereum’s price is expected to drop to at least $10,005 in 2027. The average price of ETH is $10,291, but it can go as high as $11,875. Ethereum price prediction 2028 In 2028, the price of one Ethereum is expected to be at least $14,835. The average price of ETH in 2028 will be $15,247, but the highest price could be $17,838. Ethereum ETH price prediction 2029 It is expected that the price of Ethereum to be at least $21,329 in 2029. The average trading value of Ethereum in USD is $21,939, but the price can go as high as $25,413. Ethereum price prediction 2030 By 2030, Ethereum’s forecast minimum price could rise to $31,090– while the expected average trading price is projected at $32,187. A potential high that may reach $37,590 showcases Ethereum’s increasing appeal to investors. Ethereum price prediction 2031 According to the forecast and technical analysis, the price of Ethereum should be at least $45,481 in 2031. The average price of ETH is $46,769, but it can go as high as $53,844. Ethereum price prediction 2025-2031 Ethereum market price prediction: Analysts’ ETH price forecast Firm Name 2025 2026 DigitalCoin Price $5,329.49 $6,305.64 Coincodex $ 3,646.30 $ 4,771.79 Cryptopolitan’s Ethereum price prediction Cryptopolitan forecasts Ethereum’s price to range between $3,646 and $4,161 by the end of 2025. By 2031, prices may surge and trade at $43,075. Ethereum historic price sentiment ETH price history | Coingecko Ethereum began trading at $1.83 on March 13, 2016. By June 16, it surged to $14.48, surpassing a $1B market cap, but it dropped 45% to $11.33 on June 18 due to the DAO hack. By December 5, after a hard fork, the price fell further to $6.83. Ethereum recovered to $46.35 by March 16, 2017, and soared to $401.49 by June 12, during the ICO boom. It dipped to $157.36 by July 16 but rebounded to $253 by September 15. Ethereum surpassed $1,000 in January 2018 but dropped to $91.01 by December. Prices remained volatile between 2020’s high of $735 and low of $130. Ethereum started at $737, peaked at $4,293 in May 2021, and ended the year at $3,679, reflecting a year of significant growth. Prices declined to $1,196 by the end of 2022 amidst broader market downturns. In 2023, Ethereum started at $2,539, briefly rising to $3,595 in March before stabilizing at $3,117 in May and dropping to $2,458.90 by August. In November, ETH climbed as high as $3,739.93; in December, the coin is trading between $3,504.23 and $3,670.22. In December 2024, ETH reached a price of $3,349. As of January 2025, ETH is trading between $3,350 and $3,624. However, the closing price for Ethereum in January was $3,282. As of February 2025, ETH is trading at $2,796. ETH value decreased further in March as it dipped to the $2000 range. At the end of March, ETH further declined and traded at $1,827. At the start of April, ETH traded at $1,917. Ethereum ended April at $1786. At the start of May, the ETH price is trading between $1804 and $1867 Ethereum ended May at $2,521. In June, ETH is trading between $2,483 and $2,521. As of the beginning of July, Ethereum price is currently trading at $2,441.

9 Jul 2025, 14:12

Polygon Plans Heimdall V2 Hard Fork in July to Potentially Enhance Network Efficiency and Security

Polygon is set to implement a pivotal hard fork, Heimdall V2, on July 10, 2023, targeting enhanced network performance and security within its Ethereum scaling framework. This upgrade introduces a

9 Jul 2025, 13:21

Polygon Plans Complex Heimdall 2.0 Hard Fork Upgrade to Enhance PoS Network Stability

Polygon is preparing to launch Heimdall 2.0, its most sophisticated hard fork since the network’s inception, promising significant improvements to its proof-of-stake blockchain. The upgrade aims to enhance finality times,

9 Jul 2025, 13:15

Polygon’s ‘most complex’ hard fork goes live Thursday

Polygon Foundation CEO Sandeep Nailwal described the upcoming Heimdall 2.0 upgrade as the “most complex” Polygon hard fork since 2020.

9 Jul 2025, 12:05

POL price soars 10% ahead of Heimdall v2 upgrade; what’s next?

Polygon is in the limelight on Wednesday as the broader cryptocurrency market displayed bullish momentum. POL led today’s gainers with a 10% surge, driven by increased excitement ahead of the Heimdall v2 upgrade, scheduled for the 10 July 2025 release. Polygon CEO Sandeep Nailwal announced the upcoming consensus layer hard fork, which is the most significant update since the network went live in 2020. He said : We’ve been on a shipping spree – and next up is Polygon PoS’s consensus layer, Heimdall v2, landing 10 July 2025. This is the most technically complex hard fork Polygon PoS has seen since its launch in 2020. With developers, users, and the broader Polygon ecosystem waiting for a massive impact, attention has shifted to native POL. The alt has gained over 10% as bullish sentiments dominate ahead of the historic upgrade. The CEO warned about a potential 3-hour lag during the migration window. While that could trigger bearish price actions, POL seems poised for significant rallies. The current value places prices at a crucial resistance between $0.20 and $0.22. A potential breakout might catalyze a 70% rally to the crucial resistance at $0.35. The Heimdall v2; what is it all about? Heimdall is among the key systems that keep Polygon’s PoS (proof-of-stake) chain operating. Meanwhile, its initial design utilized outdated tech, which has lost value in the fast-paced blockchain industry. Tomorrow’s v2 update will upgrade Heimdall’s framework to CometBFT + Cosmos SDK v0.50 from Tendermint + Cosmos SDK v0.37. Precisely, Heimdall v2 will remove the outdated code that has slowed down progress over the past years. It clears the path for future enhancements while guaranteeing a faster and smoother experience for day-to-day users. Transaction finality dips to 5 seconds One of the significant changes in the upcoming upgrade is reducing the time transactions take to process. The Polygon PoS chain’s finality will drop to roughly 5 seconds after the hard fork. That means users will enjoy faster confirmations that the transferred assets are locked and unalterable. Besides improving speed, Heimdall v2 will enhance cross-chain bridge security while reducing block reorgs (reorganizations). Also, it promises a better user experience for decentralized applications and wallets. Quicker checkpoints and fewer reorgs will help dApps process transactions securely and more efficiently. POL price outlook The alt trades at $0.2057 after gaining more than 10% the previous day. POL’s 24-hour trading volume has increased by 50%, signaling amplified investor enthusiasm. Chart by Coinmarketcap However, bulls should overcome the key resistance between $0.20 and $0.22. Overcoming this hurdle could trigger remarkable rallies to $0.35. That would mean an approximately 70% rally from Polygon’s current market price. Nonetheless, selling pressure around $0.20 – $0.22 will delay the possible surge. That might trigger notable sideways or price dips. Broad market sentiments amid the Heimdall upgrade will also influence POL’s trajectory. The post POL price soars 10% ahead of Heimdall v2 upgrade; what’s next? appeared first on Invezz