According to the source, a Layer-1 blockchain is the base protocol that provides consensus, data availability, and settlement for native assets like BTC and ETH, which defines throughput, fee mechanics, and finality that traders monitor for execution and liquidity conditions; Source: ethereum.org developers docs on Layer 1 vs Layer 2; developer.bitcoin.org blockchain guide. Bitcoin’s Layer-1 uses proof-of-work with a 10-minute target block interval, and miner revenue consists of the block subsidy plus transaction fees determined by fee rates per virtual byte, making the fee market a core variable for BTC on-chain costs; Source: developer.bitcoin.org devguide on mining and transactions. Ethereum’s Layer-1 uses proof-of-stake and EIP-1559 burns the base fee from each transaction, so higher gas usage increases ETH burned and can reduce net issuance, directly linking blockspace demand to ETH token supply dynamics; Source: ethereum.org proof-of-stake documentation; EIP-1559 specification on eips.ethereum.org. Major rollups settle back to Ethereum Layer-1 for security and data availability, so L1 congestion and gas costs propagate to L2 transaction costs and throughput, while alternative L1s like Solana use Proof of History with PoS to provide fast confirmations and high throughput by design; Source: ethereum.org rollups documentation; Solana whitepaper and docs. For trading, monitor BTC mempool fee rates, Ethereum basefee and burn rate, L2 cost per transaction, and Solana throughput to gauge blockspace demand that can influence on-chain liquidity and volatility for BTC, ETH, and SOL; Source: mempool.space data; Etherscan Gas Tracker; Solana Explorer; ethereum.org rollups documentation.

According to @AveryChing, big tech and fintech firms are set to launch new Layer-1 and Layer-2 networks, marking a shift from crypto as the product to products built on crypto, which he identifies as a core market driver for builders and investors, source: @AveryChing on X, Aug 12, 2025. He asserts that Aptos (APT) has advantages in trading performance, cloud integration, finality, cost, and scale that will set the standard and be reflected in valuation, source: @AveryChing on X, Aug 12, 2025.

According to Vitalik Buterin, fast preconfirmations are a valuable mechanism for users when used correctly. He explains that preconfirmations offer speed but less security, while finality provides maximum security but is slower. This distinction is important for traders to understand when evaluating transaction methods.