By Yuliya, PANews

Ethereum's high and volatile gas fees have long been a persistent impediment to mass adoption and a persistent pain point for developers and users. Against this backdrop, ETHGas, a bold initiative designed to make gas "invisible," emerged. PANews recently spoke exclusively with the founders of ETHGas, delving into their journey to build a "real-time Ethereum" from a pandemic-induced epiphany. This conversation will reveal how ETHGas pioneered financial markets for the "blockspace" and, through the "Open Gas Initiative," collaborates with leading protocols to jointly chart and realize a user-friendly "gas-free future."

Epiphany during the pandemic: Reshaping Gas from a “transaction tax” to a “financial market”

PANews: As far as I know, the idea for ETHGas was born during the special period of epidemic isolation. What industry pain points did you observe at that time? What was the "moment of enlightenment" that prompted you to decide to build a "real-time Ethereum" and devote yourself to making Gas "invisible"?

ETHGas: Haha, yes, it was an unforgettable time. I was stuck in a hotel with nothing to do but keep an eye on the market. I witnessed the frenzy of DeFi Summer firsthand, but also the immense friction behind it: gas fees skyrocketed like an out-of-control beast, and ordinary users were either priced out or had their transactions stuck, resulting in a terrible experience. I thought at the time, it was like a beautifully designed highway with chaotic toll booths, random tolls, and sometimes even direct traffic. This couldn't be the future.

That "aha moment" was when I realized the problem wasn't gas fees themselves, but how we were treating them. We'd been treating them like an unavoidable "tax," rather than a managed financial market. I thought, if we can build financial markets for airline fuel and farmers' grain, why can't we do the same for Ethereum's blockspace? This idea became the starting point for our journey to building "Real Ethereum" and achieving "Invisible Gas."

“Gas-Free Future”: Paving the Way for the Next Billion Users

PANews: Currently, the vast majority of Ethereum users view gas fees as an unavoidable transaction friction. ETHGas' vision is to make gas "invisible." Can you describe this "gas-free future"? Why is achieving this vision crucial to Ethereum's next wave of mass adoption?

ETHGas: Of course. What we call a "gas-free future" is actually a return to daily, non-perceptible experience.

Imagine buying a latte at your favorite coffee shop. You wouldn't be asked to pay an unspecified "electricity fee" when you pay, and the price wouldn't fluctuate by the second depending on the power grid's activity. All you care about is the price and taste of the coffee itself. The coffee shop owner has already taken care of the electricity cost as an operating expense in the background.

But on Ethereum today, every transaction is like paying this volatile "electricity fee"—also known as the gas fee. It's confusing and fraught with uncertainty, and it's the "last mile" hindering Web3 from reaching the mainstream.

By making Gas “invisible”, we are removing this barrier, allowing Ethereum to truly achieve mass adoption and pave the way for the next billion users.

PANews: ETHGas's solution is quite unique. Rather than simply lowering gas fees, you've pioneered the creation of a financial market for "blockspace." Can you explain how this transforms the abstract concept of "blockspace" into a standardized asset that can be traded like stocks and options?

ETHGas: Our core is to transform a chaotic and unpredictable market into a structured financial market. You can think of it this way: before the emergence of ETHGas, buying block space was like buying something at a crowded and disorderly street market. You never knew the real price and were not sure whether you could buy what you needed.

ETHGas is creating a platform similar to the New York Stock Exchange for blockspace. We've created standardized products like inclusion preconfirmations . Now, a protocol can purchase a guarantee that its transaction will be included in the next block at a fixed price. In this way, we transform blockspace from an abstract concept into a predictable, tradable, and hedgeable financial asset, significantly improving the efficiency of on-chain capital operations.

“Real-time Ethereum”: The era of millisecond settlement

PANews: You've proposed the concept of "Realtime Ethereum," claiming to achieve millisecond-level transaction settlement. How exactly is this achieved? What previously unimaginable possibilities will this extreme speed and certainty unlock for traders and developers?

ETHGas: "Live Ethereum" is a direct result of our blockspace market. Because builders and protocols can now pre-purchase guarantees for future blocks before they are even produced, they can operate with absolute certainty. They know exactly when and how their transactions will be successfully included on the blockchain.

This unlocks numerous possibilities that were previously impossible due to network latency. For high-frequency traders, it provides a decisive competitive advantage. For project developers, it means they can build applications with instant settlement—complex applications that were previously impossible due to network latency and congestion are now possible, making the experience truly "instant."

Ecological Flywheel: "Open Gas Plan" and Win-Win Cooperation for All Parties

PANews: To promote a "gas-free future," you launched the Open Gas Initiative. Can you share which leading protocols are currently collaborating with ETHGas? How will you work with them to create a gas-free experience for end users?

ETHGas: The Open Gas Initiative is our alliance to build a more engaging and user-friendly Web3. We are proud to announce that industry leaders such as ether.fi, EigenLayer, and Pendle have become our first founding partners, with more partners to be announced soon.

Our partnership model is simple: through our platform, they can sponsor gas fees for their users' transactions. For example, a user stakes on the protocol platform, the protocol pays the gas costs, and the user can then claim this rebate directly from the ETHGas dashboard . We transform gas fees, a cost center for projects, into their most powerful tool for user acquisition and retention.

PANews: This sounds like a powerful closed loop of growth: validators provide block space, attracting protocol members, and the protocol bringing in a massive user base. So, within this closed loop, how do you incentivize validators and staking operators to join the network and provide "fuel" for the entire ecosystem?

ETHGas: You hit the nail on the head. This is the core engine of our growth flywheel. Our incentive logic for validators is simple and direct: to provide them with higher market-driven returns.

Through our block space trading platform, validators no longer just passively receive unstable MEV income. Instead, they can actively package their block space into high-value, programmable financial products and sell them, thereby opening up a new, stable source of income with generally higher returns.

As the ecosystem develops, stakers and protocol parties will gradually recognize the existence of this excess return, thereby encouraging their staking service providers to integrate ETHGas. We drive growth on the supply side of the entire ecosystem by providing the most competitive staking returns on the market.

Two-step strategy: from gas rebates to permanent cost hedging

PANews: ETHGas has launched the highly anticipated "Open Gas Initiative," which is bringing together the industry's top protocols. What role does this initiative play in your "Gasless Future" campaign? Is it a short-term marketing initiative, or is it the first step towards a permanent, sustainable "gasless model"?

ETHGas: This is definitely the starting point for a permanent, sustainable model. The Gasless Future campaign is our gateway to guiding users into the ETHGas ecosystem. First, it uses gamification to allow users to intuitively experience gas costs and complete market education. Second, the campaign demonstrates to the protocol parties the significant impact of a "gas-free experience" on user engagement.

This initial phase allows protocol parties to immediately see the significant, direct impact of providing a gas-free experience on user retention and activity, and lays the foundation for the next phase of development.

PANews: So, starting with gas rebates, what's the next step? How will you help protocol partners transition from "subsidizing gas" to a more mature model?

ETHGas: This is exactly what's key to long-term sustainability. Gas rebates are just the first phase. As our blockspace finance market matures, we'll introduce more sophisticated tools for our partners. This includes products like Base Fee Futures , which allow protocols to hedge against gas price volatility.

Instead of passively paying gas fees, they can proactively lock in their gas costs for the next month or quarter, much like airlines hedge their fuel costs. This will transform gas from an volatile operational expense into a predictable, manageable budget item, enabling true long-term financial planning and a permanent gas-free user experience.

PANews: Looking ahead, what are the next key milestones for ETHGas? Do you have any specific suggestions for partners who are eager to join this revolution and build the ecosystem together?

ETHGas: Our vision is becoming a reality. We recently released the second chapter of our "Gasless Future" campaign, officially launching the long-awaited Gas Report Card for the community.

This is not just a feature update, but also our commitment to the future. And this future needs to be built by each of us together. Whether you are a user, developer or validator, you all have an indispensable role to play:

• To all users, I want to say: Please actively participate in the "Gasless Future" campaign! This isn't just about checking your gas report and claiming a rebate; it's about taking action and voting for a future Ethereum that benefits everyone. Your voice and choice are the fundamental driving force behind this transformation.

• For developers and protocol partners: This is a great opportunity to transform the user experience from a "pain point" to a "highlight." We sincerely invite you to join the "Open Gas Project" and work together to leave complex gas issues behind, providing the smoothest and most seamless experience to your users, and building this into your unique core competitiveness.

• For validators: We invite you to connect with the highest-yielding, most predictable value network on Ethereum. Contact us to explore how you can unlock unprecedented value from your blockspace.

A "gas-free future" isn't a distant dream; it's an engineering and community challenge we're working on together. Follow @ETHGasOfficial on X and join us in building this future.