The liquid restaking protocol Ether.fi will provide the ETHGas project with assets totaling $3 billion over three years, according to The Block.
ETHGas founder Kevin Lepsow clarified that this is not a direct investment. Ether.fi will utilize part of its pool (currently exceeding 2.8 million ETH) as "validator liquidity."
ETHGas operates as a marketplace for futures on Ethereum's block space. This partnership is expected to enhance liquidity in this market and benefit all network participants.
Ether.fi validators will increase yields beyond standard staking rewards. They will be able to extract additional profits (MEV) by supporting blocks in real-time.
Block space buyers (traders and institutions) will receive transaction execution guarantees. The ability to prepay gas will protect them from sudden fee spikes during network congestion.
Developers will be able to create applications with fixed costs, making transaction fees "as predictable as electricity bills."
Lepsow compared Ethereum's block space to traditional commodity assets, stating that any major commodity market inevitably evolves from a spot format to futures.
In January, ETHGas launched the governance token GWEI, aiming to transform Ethereum's block space into a programmable and tradable asset.