Ethereum 2.0 is a broad term used to cover several improvements to the Ethereum network, which tackle some of its most pressing technical hurdles. Ethereum 2.0, or ETH2, is an informal name—the Ethereum Foundation prefers to refer to Ethereum 2.0 as the consensus layer and ETH 1.0 as the execution layer.
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Ethereum 2.0 has been taking shape over several years and is not a one-off event. It started with the launch of the Beacon Chain in December 2020, which allowed the staking of Ether, the native token of the Ethereum network.
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The staking process entails holding tokens for some time to support the crypto network’s security and validate blocks within the blockchain network. These investors receive rewards for this practice through a process known as proof of stake (PoS).
In other words, Ethereum has moved from proof-of-work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake model or consensus mechanism, where the latter aims to improve the security and scalability of the blockchain.