William Mougayar, a longtime champion of Ethereum, has stepped into a new role as curator and editor of the Ethereum Market Research Center (EMRC). This community-driven initiative aims to elevate the visibility of Ethereum’s vibrant ecosystem among institutional and professional audiences. EMRC will showcase insights from top builders, researchers, and analysts within the Ethereum space, featuring original research, curated external content, thought leadership pieces, and real-time news updates.
Ethereum’s ecosystem is one of the most innovative in blockchain, dominating major stablecoin markets, expanding into real-world assets, and housing most of the total value locked in decentralized finance (DeFi). Yet, many critics feel this growth isn’t fully reflected in Ethereum’s token price. Mougayar notes that this disconnect partly stems from other blockchains being more effective at communicating their value propositions. “Ethereum leads in market share, but it hasn’t been messaging as effectively as it could,” he explains, pointing out Solana’s aggressive marketing efforts as a contrast.
The new research hub aims to help Ethereum better educate its community and re-energize its messaging. This effort is part of a broader strategy to transition Ethereum into its next institutional phase, involving various firms and industry leaders. Mougayar emphasizes that concerns about layer-2 solutions cannibalizing the main chain are misplaced. “Ethereum’s L1 and Layer 2s work together as an ecosystem,” he says. With potentially 200 Layer 2s by year’s end, Ethereum’s future is about ecosystem growth, not feature competition. Just like the internet, Ethereum’s decentralized structure promotes lateral expansion.
However, Mougayar acknowledges that full decentralization can pose messaging challenges. “Decentralization means things are spread out, which can be a weakness,” he admits. To address this, he suggests recentralizing some aspects temporarily to make Ethereum’s ecosystem more visible and accessible for users. This approach aims to balance decentralization with clarity, ensuring Ethereum’s story resonates clearly with broader audiences.
