Ethereum recently shook the crypto space with its Pectra upgrade. It attracted billions in new investments and fueled a fresh surge of excitement. With markets changing, traders and institutions look for the next big winners as this wave picks up steam.
Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Success
Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade went into operation on May 7 and was a big leap for the network. The upgrade merged Prague on the execution layer and Electra on the consensus layer into a single package, which included 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). Its intention was to enhance staking and scalability, as well as wallet features, without disrupting ongoing users or contracts.
The one big adjustment was an increase in the validator staking limit. The maximum per-validator stake went up from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH. This enables bigger operators to operate more validators within a single entity. It reduces fees and makes participation from big players more viable. Validators now spend less time joining and leaving the network. Deposits now process entirely on-chain, reducing activation time from 12 hours to approximately 13 minutes.
Pectra also included account abstraction, which allows externally owned accounts to behave as smart contracts. Batching transactions is now possible for wallets, as is sponsoring gas fees and providing more powerful security controls. These properties allow Ethereum wallets to become more user-friendly and secure, promoting more adoption.
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Following Pectra, Ethereum’s blob fees now stand at 1 wei, resolving contention and allowing layer 2s to utilize Ethereum DA for minimal base transaction costs to post data. Greater blobs per block result in more affordable, regular layer 2 transactions. Scalability is now here with higher blob counts and PeerDAS. ETH becomes the global settlement layer.
Crypto Investment Inflows Reach Record Levels
The upgrade occurred at the same time as crypto fund inflows rose significantly. Crypto assets registered $785 million in inflows for the week, taking year-to-date (YTD) figures to $7.5 billion. This completely erases almost $7 billion in outflows during February and March’s correction period.
Regional inflows were dominated by the United States, at $681 million, followed by $86.3 million from Germany and $24.2 million from Hong Kong—the latter’s highest inflow since November 2024. Conversely, Sweden, Canada, and Brazil experienced outflows.
Bitcoin funds saw $557 million last week, a decrease in inflows from earlier weeks due to the Federal Reserve’s hawkish policy stance. $5.8 million worth of inflows into short Bitcoin products show hedging by cautious investors.
Ethereum led the pack with $205 million weekly inflows and more than $575 million YTD. The surge in interest is attributed to a successful Pectra upgrade and change in leadership, with Tomasz Stańczak joining as co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation.
In contrast, Solana investment products experienced outflows of $890,000, making it the only major asset with net withdrawals last week.
What’s Next for ETH Price?
Looking forward, the Ethereum price looks positive. As of May 19, ETH is trading near $2,400, up from around $1,800 at the start of the month. With good support at $2,200, it keeps its upward momentum going. Should that support hold, the ETH price may go up to $3,000 or even $4,000.
A golden cross pattern supports this optimism, where the short-term moving average crosses above the long-term average. Historically speaking, this will likely forecast big moves for the Ethereum price. Technical indicators confirm its optimism too: RSI is neutral at 67.9 points, whereas ADX and MACD recommend buying strength. In total, 12 indicators recommend a buy as opposed to 5 sell recommendations.
Certain traders remain even more bullish. On X, a user said, “I’m a simple man, bullish on $ETH for the rest of 2025!” as he sees ETH making its way up to $10,000. Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade and high inflows make for a promising year. It also boosts layer 2 protocols and meme coins trending in the industry.
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Top Crypto to Buy as Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade Fuels Demand for Innovative Projects
The Ethereum Pectra upgrade and record of $7.5 billion inflows have sparked fresh interest across crypto markets. This momentum fuels demand for innovative projects like Bitcoin Pepe, PepeX, and CartelFi. As layer 2 scaling and regulatory clarity improve, these tokens stand to benefit from the shifting landscape and growing institutional involvement.
Bitcoin Pepe (BPEP)
Bitcoin Pepe merges Bitcoin’s security with meme coin speed, building a layer 2 solution for fast, low-fee transactions. It targets Bitcoin maximalists, aiming to unlock $2 trillion in dormant capital for meme coin use.
Over 10 partners, including Plena Finance, support Bitcoin Pepe’s plan for a meme-focused decentralized exchange and NFT marketplace. Bitcoin Pepe has strong partnerships with CATAMOTO for fast launches on BASE, GETE for cross-chain gaming aligned with Bitcoin, and Crypto Hunters for AR and AI-powered missions.
The staking allocation has sold out, reflecting strong demand. The presale has raised over $8.5 million and ends in 12 days on May 31, 2025.
PepeX (PEPX)
PepeX is the world’s first AI-powered meme coin launchpad, letting anyone create tokens without coding skills. Its AI automatically handles smart contract audits, liquidity locking, and social media campaigns. This reduces risks like rug pulls and insider manipulation, making launches fairer and safer.
The presale started at $0.02 and has raised over $2.2 million. Prices may rise to $0.0823 by the final stage, offering early investors potential 300% gains. PepeX limits founders’ token shares to 5%, ensuring community benefits. After presale, it plans to list on major exchanges and aims to launch its AI-driven platform in Q3 2025.
With AI-powered token creation and marketing bots, PepeX could reshape meme coin launches, making them more transparent and accessible.
CartelFi (CARTFI)
CartelFi is a meme-focused DeFi protocol that turns idle meme coins into high-yield assets. Its single-asset staking pools offer up to 1,000% APY for long-term holders, while shorter-term pools provide 150% to 250% APYs. This rewards users and helps secure the network.
The project’s presale raised over $1.8 million, showing strong investor interest. CartelFi uses a deflationary model where protocol fees buyback and burn CARTFI tokens, reducing supply and supporting price growth. It supports staking popular meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, paying rewards mainly in CARTFI.
With a roadmap focused on expanding DeFi products and partnerships, CartelFi aims to bridge meme culture and decentralized finance. Its high-stakes yields and buyback system make it a top project in 2025’s crypto space.
