An increasing number of banks and financial institutions are investing in blockchain technology. This trend primarily offers opportunities to enhance transaction security and privacy, while also enabling new methods for identity verification and value storage. One of the most advanced blockchain-based platforms is Ethereum — a decentralized system that allows the creation and execution of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). While traditional blockchains serve as decentralized transaction ledgers, Ethereum adds an execution logic layer, transforming blockchain into a universal platform for self-executing contracts and distributed applications.
According to Tomasz Stańczak, Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, the platform offers solutions that will underpin the digital economy infrastructure of 2030: a neutral, open, and trusted layer for modern financial and social systems. Under this vision, Ethereum will act as a trust layer for future agents that — by combining AI and blockchain technology — will open markets to automated decisions, contracts, and interactions, alongside further tokenization of assets. Tokenization refers to converting real-world assets such as real estate, artwork, company shares, or commodities into digital tokens operating on the Ethereum blockchain. At the same time, the Ethereum ecosystem is already ready for large-scale deployments.
“Blockchain is definitely a very important technology for economic development. More and more banking and institutional systems are implementing blockchain-based solutions,” Stańczak told Newseria.
Following technological developments and market trends, regulations are also evolving. In the EU, the new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, effective from December 30, 2024, lays the groundwork for broader blockchain adoption. The regulation establishes unified EU market rules for crypto-assets. Key principles for issuers and trading entities include transparency, openness, trusted authorization, and effective transaction supervision. The new rules aim to support market integrity and financial stability by regulating public crypto-asset offerings, while ensuring consumers are better informed about associated risks.
“2025 is a breakthrough year for technology development driven by regulatory changes worldwide,” emphasizes the Ethereum Foundation expert. “Importantly, not only institutions but anyone can use blockchain technology to connect to the network. This allows overcoming economic barriers, whether due to borders or limited capital resources needed to connect.”
For decades, banks have relied on centralized systems to process transactions and ensure compliance. While stable, these systems often suffer inefficiencies like high operational costs, delays, and vulnerability to fraud. Blockchain technology functions as a distributed ledger where multiple participants verify and store data, ensuring accuracy and reducing manipulation risk. It eliminates the need for intermediaries, streamlines operations, and boosts security. Research by Juniper Research, a reputable market analytics firm specializing in new digital technologies, estimates that financial institutions could save over $27 billion annually by 2030 through blockchain-based settlement processes. Another study by Uniswap suggests cross-border and currency payment fees could decrease by up to 80% with blockchain transactions.
“The banking and capital markets sectors have waited many years to implement blockchain technology. For a long time, limitations, regulations, and the inability to develop the technology at the desired pace hindered adoption. Now, markets are ready, eager to build on blockchain technology, and it is finally possible. Over the next few months, or maybe a year or two, we will see new regulations introduced that break down barriers,” Stańczak evaluates.
The infrastructure now enables faster, cheaper, and more secure deployments. Ethereum, an open-source blockchain platform designed for this purpose, allows creation and operation of decentralized applications and smart contracts — programs that run automatically without intermediaries.
At an international scientific conference on the on-chain economy held at the Warsaw School of Economics, Tomasz Stańczak, a leader at the Ethereum Foundation and founder of Nethermind, highlighted the technology’s role in building the 2030 digital economy infrastructure: a neutral, open, and trusted layer for modern financial and social systems.
“The Ethereum network delivers tangible benefits: it provides security, privacy protection through advanced technologies — especially zero-knowledge proofs and open-source code — and resilience against financial censorship,” says the Ethereum Foundation executive director. “This is crucial for large institutions because their clients demand privacy in all transactions and want transactions to be stored on blockchain technology with the highest security standards.”
He explains that financial censorship resistance means all institutions should have equal, nondiscriminatory market access and that no transaction should be blocked.
“Ethereum is treated as a global system where institutions from any country and of any size can participate on equal terms. The security of the Ethereum platform is often cited as a reason why large financial institutions and banks choose it to build solutions on Layer 2 — the second layer. They maintain control over how they define the blockchain while enjoying excellent integration with the base network,” Stańczak emphasizes.
In this context, the platform can serve as a trust layer for future agents. The combination of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology opens market possibilities for automating decisions, contracts, and interactions, as well as asset tokenization — transforming real-world assets like real estate, art, company shares, or commodities into digital tokens on the blockchain.
“All this should happen in the coming years. Agent-based systems with identity solutions will be built and coexist on the Ethereum network, significantly accelerating economic processes,” predicts the expert.
The Ethereum Foundation is an international non-profit organization supporting the Ethereum ecosystem. It focuses on research, infrastructure development, funding open-source projects, and supporting the global community building an open, accessible, and decentralized next-generation internet. Tomasz Stańczak serves as the Foundation’s executive director and is founder of Nethermind, a technologically advanced company operating within the Ethereum ecosystem.
