TLDR
Starknet (STRK), Base, and Shibarium showed the clearest activity gains this week.
- Starknet: staking plus BTC staking pushed consensus value above $365.4M per a custodian-supported rollout. Starknet milestone
- Base: onchain credit surpassed $1.25B, with fresh ETH?backed lending and rising protocol inflows. Base credit expansion
- Shibarium: daily transactions rose 78% to 4,330 on 18 Nov after network upgrades. Shibarium transactions jump
Deep Dive
1. Starknet Momentum
Starknets new staking phase plus Anchorage Digitals BTC staking support drove rapid inflows, lifting combined consensus value to over $365M within hours and signaling institutional engagement. Consensus value
- Reports highlight STRK leading weekly gains and inflows as staking participation increased and bridged liquidity rose. Weekly surge context
- Parallel L2 development: privacy?focused Aztec launched Ignition Chain mainnet with community staking and block production live. Aztec mainnet launch
If you track L2 usage, Starknets staking growth and BTCFi integrations are tangible drivers. Monitor staked supply and bridged TVL for durability.
2. Base Credit And Activity
Bases onchain credit market crossed $1.25B, aided by Coinbases ETH?collateral loan feature and observable inflows into lending protocols this week. Credit growth
- NFT metrics show Base leading monthly active traders among major chains during the recent downturn, suggesting sticky user engagement. Active traders on Base
- Token?launch activity remained brisk, with JESSEs launch illustrating Bases flashblocks mechanics that can concentrate priority fees and same?block fills. Launch mechanics example
Credit and creator?economy activity are Bases demand anchors. Watch lending depth and sequencer fee patterns around new launches to gauge sustained usage.
3. Shibarium Recovery
Shibariums daily transactions rose 78% (2,430 to 4,330) on 18 Nov, helped by recent RPC migration upgrades improving decentralization and uptime. Transaction surge
- The rebound followed a soft patch earlier in November, with cumulative transactions and active addresses still large on aggregate per project trackers. Same report above
Shibariums uptick shows improving throughput at modest scale. It is useful as a relative recovery signal rather than a broad L2 leader.
Conclusion
Despite a weak broader market, L2 activity clustered where concrete catalysts existed: staking and BTC routes on Starknet, credit and launch dynamics on Base, and throughput recovery on Shibarium. For next steps, track sustained inflows (staked amounts, lending balances, sequencer fees) to distinguish transient spikes from durable usage.
