In-depth analysis
1. Senators question the working group of the Ministry of Justice on cryptography regarding its closure (January 29, 2026)
Overview: Six American senators have called out Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding his decision, made in April 2025, to dissolve the national team of the Ministry of Justice responsible for enforcing laws related to cryptocurrencies. They mention a 162% increase in illegal activities related to cryptocurrencies in 2025, reaching a record amount of $158 billion. The senators report a potential conflict of interest, as Mr. Blanche held between $158,000 and $470,000 in cryptocurrencies (primarily Bitcoin and Ethereum) just before his appointment and divested himself a few months after the team's dissolution. Consequences: This decision is neutral for Ethereum in the short term, but highlights the increasing regulatory pressure on the enforcement of cryptocurrency-related offenses. A deeper examination by the Senate could lead to more consistent policy, but also indicates that legal and non-compliance risks remain high for the entire sector. (Cointelegraph)
2. Launch of the MegaETH mainnet scheduled for February 9 (January 29, 2026)
Overview: MegaETH, the highly anticipated layer 2 of Ethereum, has confirmed its mainnet launch date after a final global load test. In seven days, the chain processed 10.7 billion transactions, thus surpassing Ethereum's all-time record, and reached up to 35,000 transactions per second (TPS). The test involved Web3 applications sensitive to latency, and users reported no congestion. Consequences: This result is encouraging for Ethereum's scalability. The successful launch of a mainnet for a high-performance layer 2, backed by Ethereum's co-founders, validates the modular roadmap and could attract more real-time high-throughput applications to the ecosystem, thereby boosting long-term utility and demand. (CoinMarketCap)
3. A researcher proposes EIP-7805 for censorship resistance (January 29, 2026)
Overview: Thomas Thiery, a researcher on Ethereum, proposed EIP-7805, titled 'Inclusion Lists Imposed by Fork Choice' (FOCIL). This update aims to enhance resistance to censorship by introducing mechanisms that prevent a single block proposer from monopolizing the inclusion of transactions, thereby promoting credible neutrality. Consequences: This is a positive long-term evolution for the fundamental values of Ethereum. Strengthening censorship resistance at the protocol level addresses a major criticism and could consolidate Ethereum's appeal as a neutral settlement layer for both institutional and decentralized finance, even though its implementation and adoption will take time. (CoinMarketCap)
Conclusion
Ethereum evolves in a complex context where regulatory obstacles coexist with major technical advancements in scalability and decentralization. How will the balance between Senate control and permissionless innovation shape the next chapter of Ethereum?
