Ethereum Turns 10: Free NFT, Livestream, and a Bold Future Ahead

Ethereum, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, has reached a historic milestone, ETH 10-year anniversary. What began as a white paper and an ambitious vision in 2015 has grown into a decentralized ecosystem powering DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and beyond.

To celebrate this decade-long journey, the Ethereum Foundation is pulling out all the stops with a livestream, worldwide meetups, and a free commemorative NFT mint that’s making waves across the crypto community.

The Ethereum Torch: A Symbolic NFT for the Ages

As part of the celebration, the Ethereum Foundation introduced a limited-time free NFT called The Ethereum Torch, a digital collectible passed between community wallets for ten days and burned during the livestream on July 30, 2025, at 14:30 UTC.

However, a commemorative version of the NFT is available to everyone for free minting, but only until tomorrow at 24:00 UTC.

This NFT, dubbed the "E Guardian Medal" by some enthusiasts, is more than just a digital asset, it’s a badge of honor, symbolizing community-driven development, decentralization, and the journey ahead.

Unlike commercial mints, this initiative is open, free, and inclusive, attracting thousands of minters and potentially spiking on-chain activity and ETH demand.

Global Meetups and a Livestream to Remember

More than 100 events, panels, workshops, and community meetups, are taking place in cities from Shenzhen to San Francisco, uniting developers, investors, and ETH maxis worldwide.

These gatherings, supported by the Ethereum Foundation’s Ecosystem Support Program, offer retrospectives and forward-looking discussions on Ethereum’s challenges and roadmap. Key themes include scalability, regulation, and security.

The centerpiece was the global livestream hosted on YouTube, featuring Ethereum co-founders Vitalik Buterin and Joseph Lubin, who reflected on the network's early days and future vision.

The event served not just as a celebration, but as a symbolic transition from Ethereum’s first decade into a future powered by Proof-of-Stake, sustainability, and mass adoption.

NFT Market Reawakens with Ethereum at the Center

The Ethereum ecosystem isn’t just in party mode, it’s seeing a resurgence in NFT activity:

1. NFT trading volume on Ethereum has surged 300%, rising from $18.3 million to $75 million in just two weeks.

2. Ethereum now dominates over 50% of all NFT activity, outpacing Solana, Polygon, and BNB Chain.

3. Total NFT volume across blockchains has surpassed $140 million, the highest in over six months.

This market spike arrives after a sluggish 2024, signaling a renewed wave of speculation, cultural activity, and utility, fueled by the anniversary hype and upcoming protocol upgrades.

Institutions Are Buying In—Literally

The anniversary is also marked by major institutional investments:

1. The Ether Machine purchased 15,000 ETH ($56.9M).

2. SharpLink Gaming followed with 11,259 ETH ($43M).

These buys show robust confidence in Ethereum’s long-term fundamentals, possibly setting the stage for price rallies into late 2025.

Ethereum Fundamentals Stay Strong

Looking beyond the celebration, Ethereum remains a technically ambitious project. The upcoming Fusaka upgrade, slated for November 2025, will test 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at scalability and usability.

While EIP-7907 was dropped, others remain in motion, ensuring Ethereum’s infrastructure evolves with community input.

Additional signs of health include:

1. Over 32 million ETH staked in the network.

2. Layer-2 ecosystems (like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base) are showing consistent TVL growth.

3. Ethereum’s DeFi TVL has exceeded $50 billion, positioning ETH for dominance in both speculative and practical markets.

Ethereum Price Outlook: What's Next for ETH?

During the anniversary week, ETH flirted with the $4,000 mark, supported by institutional buying and increased network activity. Market analysts point to the $3,200–$3,500 zone as key technical levels.

ETH’s RSI remains in neutral territory (~55), meaning there’s room to move without being overbought. Some traders are eyeing a breakout above 0.055 BTC in the ETH/BTC pair, further signaling strength.

As volume climbs and sentiment shifts, Ethereum appears well-positioned for continued upside, especially if the NFT minting activity sustains user engagement.

Commemorative NFT: Trading Signal or Community Badge?

The free mint NFT isn’t just a cultural marker, it could also be a signal for trading volatility. Free mints often drive on-chain demand, pushing gas fees and drawing new wallet activity.

As a result, traders might see short-term ETH price action reflective of historical post-upgrade behavior, 10–20% swings within 48 hours.

Those looking to mint should monitor gas prices and consider using L2s like Base or Optimism, which may support gasless minting.

The Bigger Picture: Ethereum’s Global Movement

Despite critics calling the NFT drop “just another collectible,” Ethereum’s 10th anniversary shows why it remains the backbone of Web3.

By integrating free access, decentralized values, and symbolic rituals, Ethereum has galvanized its community like few protocols can.

Meanwhile, newer tokens like Token6900 are making noise with early-stage presales and memecoin hype, echoing ETH’s rise a decade ago. But Ethereum’s advantage remains in its infrastructure, trust, and roadmap, not just speculative upside.

Conclusion

Ethereum’s 10-year anniversary is more than a celebration, it’s a declaration. A declaration that the project has matured, the community is stronger than ever, and the next chapter is already unfolding.

From record-breaking NFT volumes to institutional buy-ins, the ETH ecosystem is showing real momentum.

Whether you're a trader, developer, or enthusiast, don’t miss out on minting the free Ethereum Torch NFT, a symbol of a decade gone by and a future still being written.