ETHGas raises $12M to launch on‑chain gas futures and 50ms Real‑Time Ethereum

ETHGas raised $12 million in a seed round led by Polychain Capital and launched what it calls Ethereum’s first blockspace (gas) futures market with roughly $800M in commitments from validators, builders and relays. The platform lets validators sell blockspace up to 64 blocks (~12.8 minutes) ahead and offers three pre‑confirmation types: full‑block sales, top‑of‑block reservations and execution guarantees. Buyers (traders, dApps, institutions) can hedge gas costs, prepay execution and reduce fee volatility. Validators post ETH or restaked ETH (via EigenLayer) as collateral and face slashing for failures; ETHGas reports a ~99.96% fulfillment rate so far. The team is testing a “Real‑Time Ethereum” model that slices blocks into ~50ms windows (240 slices per block) to speed execution, reduce MEV and target >10,000 TPS; parts of this system have run on mainnet with wider rollout planned next quarter (or Jan–Feb 2026 in later reports). ETHGas charges a 5% fee on futures trades and plans additional fees for real‑time settlement. Founder Kevin Lepsoe says selling blockspace gives validators revenue certainty and can increase MEV capture, but he also acknowledges centralization risks from concentration of validator rewards and dependence on builders/relays; the team plans leader‑election nodes and community engagement to mitigate those risks. For traders: ETHGas introduces tradable gas‑futures and pre‑confirmation products that enable hedging of gas fees and more predictable execution, which may reduce fee volatility and improve UX—but it raises questions about validator incentives, centralization and how blockspace pricing may shift across Ethereum.