The nationwide airdrop event on July 30 is seen as a potential catalyst for driving up ETH prices, and this 'digital torch' promoted by Vitalik Buterin is even believed by many to ignite the next bull market.

While the cryptocurrency market is still anxious about Bitcoin's sideways trend after the halving, Ethereum's 'Ten-Year Torch' plan has ignited enthusiasm in the crypto space. On July 21, the Ethereum Foundation announced that it would launch 'The Torch' NFT on the tenth anniversary of the genesis block on July 30 and open nationwide airdrop minting to global users for the first time.

1. 'Ten-Year Torch': A deeply meaningful on-chain design

'The Torch' NFT is not an ordinary souvenir; it carries the spirit of Ethereum's ten years and is a 'digital torch'. From July 21 to 30, this NFT will be symbolically passed among the wallets of core developers, artists, and institutions worldwide, ultimately being publicly destroyed at the moment of the tenth anniversary on July 30, while simultaneously opening nationwide airdrop minting.

This design has profound implications:

Symbol of Power: The torch relay route includes key nodes such as Vitalik Buterin, ConsenSys, and EF core members, signifying that the Ethereum ecosystem has gradually evolved from an initial geek experiment to a global infrastructure, completing the transfer of power.

Burn Mechanism: After the main NFT is destroyed, the NFTs from the nationwide airdrop will adopt a dynamic scarcity model, with the minting quantity fluctuating with ETH prices, forming a positive cycle of 'the higher the price, the scarcer the NFT'.

On-Chain Social: Users must prove their holding duration of ETH through Soulbound Tokens (SBT) to eliminate bot volume, ensuring that airdrops can accurately reach true 'believers'.

2. ETH prices are expected to break through with the 'Ten-Year Narrative'

The market has already responded positively; after the news was announced, ETH briefly broke through $3800, setting a new high for 2025. Institutional analysis believes there are three main logics supporting ETH's push to $5000:

Airdrop Economic Model: The nationwide airdrop requires Gas fees, expected to consume over 100,000 ETH, directly reducing circulating supply.

NFT Financialization: Torch NFTs will support fragmented trading, likely attracting traditional financial capital. Referencing the case where the market value of CryptoPunks skyrocketed 10 times after fragmentation, its potential is worth anticipating.

Ten-Year Narrative: When Ethereum launched on July 30, 2015, the ETH price was only $0.75. The wealth effect of a 5000-fold increase over ten years will trigger a concentrated outbreak of FOMO sentiment.

3. The ecological landscape of the cryptocurrency market may face changes

Behind this carnival, Ethereum has a deeper layout:

Integration with Layer 2: Torch NFTs will require all derivative platforms (such as Base, Optimism) to support cross-chain minting, accelerating the ecological integration of 'Ethereum Mainnet + Layer 2', forming a dimensional strike.

Impact on Solana: On July 18, Solana announced a 30% month-over-month decline in NFT trading volume, while Ethereum's NFT trading volume saw a 10% month-over-month increase. The launch of Torch NFTs may thoroughly dispel the doubts of 'Ethereum being outdated' and precisely target Solana.

Response to Regulation: By binding real users through SBT, Ethereum takes a key step on the path to compliance, clearing obstacles for ETH ETF approval, which is also a gentle response to regulation.

4. Participation strategies for retail investors

Airdrop Strategy: Wallet addresses holding more than 0.1 ETH before July 25 will have priority for minting qualifications.

Gas Fee Arbitrage: It is expected that on July 30 at 23:00 (the exact time of the genesis block), Gas fees will soar above 500 Gwei, and miners should prepare their layout in advance.

NFT Secondary Market: The fragmented trading of Torch NFTs is expected to launch in August. Referencing the case where the floor price of BAYC increased from 15 ETH to 150 ETH after fragmentation, early holders may reap substantial rewards.

When Vitalik Buterin wrote the Ethereum white paper in 2013, he may not have anticipated that a decade later, an NFT could unify the faith of global developers, and ETH could carry the dream of a trillion-dollar market value. July 30 is not only Ethereum's birthday but may also mark the starting point of the next bull market in cryptocurrency.

At this moment, the ETH in hand is not just a string of code, but more like a ticket to the future.

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