Vitalik Buterin Proposes Gas Futures on Ethereum to Mitigate Fee Spikes

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed an onchain futures market for gas to help users manage transaction fee uncertainty as the network sees increased adoption. He suggested that this market would allow users to lock in gas prices for specific future times, addressing concerns over fluctuating fees.

The proposed futures market would operate similarly to traditional futures markets, enabling users to hedge against rising gas fees and potentially prepay for gas usage, providing a clearer signal regarding future fee expectations.

Currently, Ethereum's average gas fees are around 0.474 gwei, or about $0.01, with more complex transactions averaging higher fees. Despite the decline in average fees throughout 2025, fluctuations have been notable, with costs starting the year at $1 and dropping to $0.30, while experiencing spikes up to $2.60 and dips as low as $0.18, according to data from Ycharts.