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CryptoUpdated×8•Originally published 17 April 2026•Updated 18 April 2026•

1 min read

Institutional Leaders in Seoul Position Ethereum as Core Infrastructure for Future Finance

Key Facts

1Senior executives from digital asset treasury firms gathered in Seoul to advocate for Ethereum as a core layer of future financial infrastructure.

2Participants at the 'Ethereum Korea One' conference emphasized that ETH offers exposure to structural shifts in finance beyond short-term price volatility.

Senior executives in Seoul have reaffirmed Ethereum's role as core financial infrastructure, supported by the launch of the Ethereum Korea Consortium. The network recorded a record 204 million transactions in Q1 2026, driven primarily by Layer 2 (L2) networks. A significant driver of this growth was the expansion of stablecoin issuance on Ethereum, which pushed the total supply to approximately $180 billion during the quarter. However, this surge reveals a growing gap between high network usage and the price performance of the ETH token, as the current scaling shift puts pressure on Ethereum's token economics. While Ethereum trades near the $2.4K resistance level, supported by ETF inflows and Charles Schwab's new crypto access, analysts are monitoring this decoupling of utility and value. Despite heavy shorting, the institutional focus remains on whether Ethereum can translate its infrastructure dominance into sustained economic momentum.

about 2 months ago

Version History

Version 8about 2 months ago

What changed: Updated the story to include new data regarding the growth of stablecoin issuance on Ethereum, which reached a $180 billion milestone.

Version 7about 2 months ago

What changed: Added new analysis highlighting a decoupling between record network activity and ETH price performance, noting the economic pressures caused by current scaling strategies.

Version 6about 2 months ago

What changed: The story was updated to include price action near the $2.4K resistance, the impact of ETF inflows, and increased market activity following Charles Schwab's crypto integration.

Version 5about 2 months ago

What changed: Updated transaction count to 204 million, identified Layer 2 networks and stablecoins as primary growth drivers, and noted the U-shaped recovery pattern from 2023 lows.

Version 4about 2 months ago

What changed: The story was updated to include new market data showing Ethereum has become one of the most heavily shorted assets globally despite its strong fundamental growth.

Version 3about 2 months ago

What changed: Updated the story with Q1 2026 data showing record network activity exceeding 200.4 million transactions.

Version 2about 2 months ago

What changed: The story was updated to include the official launch of the Ethereum Korea Consortium and the strategic initiative to transition Korea into an active protocol contributor.

Version 1about 2 months ago

What changed: The story was updated to include record-high on-chain activity, the emergence of AI agent payment use cases, and the identified gap between market price and strong network fundamentals.