TLDR
Ethereum Layer 2s driving transactions this week were Arbitrum (ARB), Base, Optimism (OP), ZKsync Era, and Starknet. Ethereum L1 activity set new highs as more L2 batches settled on mainnet.
- Arbitrum expanded at scale, crossing $20 billion secured and 2.1 billion lifetime transactions per a developer update (report).
- Ethereums seven?day average transactions hit a record, with L2 settlement cited as the key driver (network update).
- ZK L2s (ZKsync, Starknet) are set for throughput boosts via more data blobs and parallelization, lifting aggregate capacity (upgrade outlook).
Deep Dive
1. Arbitrum, Base, Optimism
Arbitrum stood out on scale while Base and Optimism showed growing application activity.
- Offchain Labs increased its ARB exposure and flagged continued ecosystem buildout as Arbitrum surpassed $20 billion secured and 2.1 billion lifetime transactions (developer note). Competitors Optimism and Base were noted as expanding app usage on their stacks (same report).
- Broader L2 competition is intensifying on Ethereum, with optimistic rollups (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base) balancing speed and withdrawal delays, and ZK rollups pushing proof efficiency (analysis).
If you track transactional throughput and user activity, Arbitrum leads on scale, while Base and Optimism continue to grow app?level flow that keeps settlement batches steady.
2. Ethereum Usage High From L2 Settlement
Record mainnet usage was tied to L2s settling more transaction data efficiently.
- Ethereums seven?day average transaction count hit a new high, explicitly attributed to heavier L2 settlements plus steady DeFi and stablecoin flows (network update).
- Ethereum L1 also processed a record 1,913,481%%CKPROTECTED2%% daily transactions with low average fees as capacity and blob handling improved, enabling cheaper L2 data settlement (throughput milestone).
High L1 usage without fee spikes suggests L2 throughput is translating into frequent, affordable settlement, supporting more total transactions across Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, ZKsync, and Starknet.
3. ZK L2 Throughput Outlook
Upcoming protocol changes could further lift L2 aggregate TPS, reinforcing the weekly trend.
- Plans to increase data blobs per block and adopt parallel execution will expand L2 data space and throughput, improving settlement capacity for ZKsync and Starknet (upgrade outlook).
- Roadmaps highlight usability and interoperability across L2s, which tend to magnify weekly activity when apps or incentives densify on a single rollup (same outlook).
If these upgrades land as intended, the set of L2s driving weekly transactions could broaden further, and spikes in Arbitrum/Base/Optimism may be matched by ZKsync/Starknet as capacity grows.
Conclusion
Arbitrum led on scale, while Base and Optimism continued to add application flow, and ZKsync/Starknet benefited from improving proof and data capacity. The key link is more frequent, cheaper L2 settlement on Ethereum, which raised weekly transaction counts without major fee pressure. To monitor the leaders week to week, watch L2 app launches, incentive programs, and blob availability on Ethereum, which tend to translate directly into higher L2 transaction batches.
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