Ethereum’s Trillion-Dollar Ambition: Are We About to See a “Return-to-Ethereum” Wave?

“Ronin is coming home to Ethereum.”

On August 15, Ronin — originally an Ethereum sidechain that had expanded into DeFi and consumer DApps — announced plans to come home by transitioning into an Ethereum Layer 2.

Meanwhile, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) is pushing forward with the Trillion-Dollar Security (1TS) plan, now in Phase Two, which pivots from consensus and security toward wallet user experience and application usability

The signal from within the ecosystem is clear: the next wave on Ethereum is a dual upgrade — stronger security and better UX.

I. 1TS Phase Two: From Security to Experience

In May, the Ethereum Foundation released the blueprint for 1TS, aiming to make Ethereum the ultimate settlement layer for billions of users and trillions in economic activity.

EF then adjusted internal governance and, in June, published the first 1TS report, grouping Ethereum’s key security challenges into six areas: user experience (UX), smart-contract security, infrastructure and cloud security, consensus-protocol security, incident response and mitigation, and social/governance security. This marked the start of a systematic effort to map and address ecosystem-wide security risks.

On August 20, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced Phase Two of 1TS, shifting its focus from base-layer security to wallet UX and user experience, with priorities including: collaborating with Walletbeat to define baseline security standards for Ethereum wallets — such as human-readable transactions and tamper-proof interfaces; supporting initiatives such as the Verifier Alliance (VERA) to reduce blind signing and improve transaction decoding; and building an open-source smart contract vulnerability database to help developers identify issues before deployment.

EF is also encouraging the community to build lightweight wallets for non-technical users and enterprise-grade solutions that address compliance and privacy needs — reducing barriers to entry for all user groups. In short, 1TS has shifted from blueprint to execution.

Ethereum aims not only to be the most secure base layer, but also the most user-friendly and trusted public infrastructure. Capital, users, and developers naturally gravitate toward ecosystems where security is stronger and usability is higher

II. Security + UX: Building the Next Moat

If users can’t understand what they’re signing or can’t manage their keys safely, their experience remains insecure — no matter how robust the base layer is.

That’s the core of 1TS Phase Two: turning wallet and app interactions from risk points into safeguards. Ronin’s return to Ethereum is a telling sign. It once built a standalone chain to avoid high gas costs and complex user flows. But with rollups maturing — and Ethereum advancing on both security and UX — reconnecting to Ethereum now offers more value:

• Immediate access to deep liquidity and unified standards
• The richest developer tooling and battle-tested infrastructure
• The strongest security guarantees, combined with lower costs and improved UX

Rather than operating in isolation, it’s more efficient to reconnect with Ethereum’s vast ecosystem. If Phase One earned trust from DeFi, stablecoins, and NFTs through security, Phase Two highlights Ethereum’s focus on UX and ecosystem vitality.

Protections against blind signing, baseline security standards, and a shared vulnerability database are not just security measures — they’re experience upgrades that reduce user friction and transform Ethereum from ‘for crypto native users only’ to ‘safe for anyone and any institution.’

Ronin won’t be the first — or the last. Today, it’s gaming chains returning; tomorrow, more that once chose to ‘go independent’ may convert to L2s. As that happens, Ethereum’s role as the settlement layer will only solidify — and the ecosystem will continue to expand.

With security established, user experience becomes the new moat. Once this moat is in place, Ethereum will remain the first choice for developers and the default on-ramp for users worldwide.

III. Wallets: The First Line of Defense for Trillion-Dollar Apps

If 1TS represents a system-level upgrade, wallets are its cornerstone. That’s why EF is supporting contributors in defining baseline wallet security standards: ensuring transactions are human-readable and previewable to eliminate blind signing, and building a vulnerability database and developer tools to help wallets and DApps identify issues before going live.

This is about turning wallets into safeguards — not just entry points, but trusted stewards of asset security and user experience.

From the user’s perspective, wallets will evolve from complex crypto tools into secure-by-default on-chain financial assistants. For developers, standardized and secure wallets mean faster and safer user acquisition.

For today’s wallet providers, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Take imToken as an example: its continuous improvements in readable signing, authorization management, and risk detection align with EF’s direction:

• Human-readable signing for common contract calls, clearly showing the spender, amount, and whether approval is unlimited — reducing the risks of mis-signing.
• Authorization management with built-in revoke functions, enabling users to view all DApp approvals and revoke them in one tap.
• Integrated on-chain blocklists, DApp risk scoring, and third-party security services that proactively flag malicious links, spoofed frontends, and phishing contracts

Wallets are more than gateways — they’re the first line of defense in ensuring Ethereum can safely support trillion-dollar applications. Providers that meet emerging standards and put strong guardrails in place will be the biggest winners in any ‘return-to-Ethereum’ wave.

Ethereum is no longer merely the world’s largest smart-contract platform. It is steadily evolving into the settlement layer and infrastructure for trillion-dollar applications

In the years ahead, Ethereum won’t just lead crypto finance; it will increasingly integrate with real-world finance and everyday use cases — from cross-border payments to corporate treasuries, from gaming to social platforms.

As participants in this shift, we’ll witness trillion-dollar innovations and applications being redefined — on Ethereum.