Ethereum faces challenges as its network activity declines, highlighting UX issues that hinder innovation and user adoption. While restaking remains the dominant approach to bootstrapping new services, it creates limitations for builders and validators alike. Alon Muroch, founder of SSV Labs, argues that based applications (bApps) offer a more sustainable solution.
**Unlocking Innovation:** bApps utilize Ethereum’s validator set for security, enabling easier development, interoperability, and scalability. Unlike restaking, bApps don’t involve locking up capital or relying on costly processes, making them accessible to a wider range of developers and projects.
**Addressing Fragmentation:** The current ecosystem is fragmented due to the limitations of restaking, but bApps offer an alternative solution. This shift will empower validators by enabling them to earn more rewards through secure participation in new services without needing to lock up capital or participate in a zero-sum game of resource sharing.
**The Benefits of Scaling:** bApps represent a fundamental change in how Ethereum handles bootstrapping and scaling. They shift from a zero-sum model where only one participant can gain, to an infinite-sum approach where everyone benefits. This will fuel growth by unlocking new opportunities for developers, validators, and users.
**Revolutionizing the Ecosystem:** This approach has the potential to revolutionize Ethereum’s ecosystem. By providing a secure, scalable, and cost-effective platform for building services, bApps can help Ethereum become the foundation for a decentralized world. To address the challenges of fragmentation, this new model will encourage collaboration, create opportunities, and pave the way for a thriving community.
* **Note:** This article is intended as general information and should not be taken as legal or investment advice.