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Crypto network guide
The Ethereum Network, Explained
Quick answer
Ethereum is the largest smart-contract network, live since 2015 and secured by Proof of Stake since 2022. It processes transactions in 12-second blocks, hosts most major stablecoins as ERC-20 tokens, and charges a variable fee called gas. Typical transfers land in under five minutes in 2026.
Updated August 2026 · Reviewed by the Anytime Capital trading desk
Ethereum at a glance
- Launched
- 2015
- Consensus
- Proof of Stake
- Block time
- ~12 seconds
- Typical transfer time
- 30 seconds – 5 minutes
- Typical network fee
- Cents – a few dollars
- Token standard
- ERC-20
- Native asset
- Ether (ETH)
Network fee: Usually under $1 for an ETH transfer and $0.50–$3 for an ERC-20 token transfer in 2025–2026, after the 2024 Dencun upgrade pushed activity to cheaper L2s; demand spikes still multiply that. Third-party network figures, not Anytime Capital pricing — our pricing is on the fees & limits page.
How long does a Ethereum transfer take?
Ethereum adds a block every 12 seconds, and most platforms credit ETH and ERC-20 deposits within 1–5 minutes. Full protocol finality — the point where the network mathematically cannot roll the transaction back — arrives in about 13 minutes (two epochs), which is why some custodians hold large deposits slightly longer.
Compare every chain on one page: how long crypto transfers take on every major network.
What are gas fees, in plain English?
Every Ethereum action consumes computation, priced in units of gas. A simple ETH transfer costs exactly 21,000 gas; moving an ERC-20 token like USDT costs roughly 50,000–65,000 gas because a token contract does more work. Your fee is that gas amount multiplied by the going gas price (quoted in gwei, billionths of an ETH), which floats with network demand.
Two consequences follow. First, fees depend on what you do, not how much you send — moving $50 of USDT costs the same gas as moving $5 million. Second, fees are paid in ETH, so an Ethereum address needs a small ETH balance to move its tokens. "I have USDT but can't send it" is almost always a zero-ETH problem.
What does ERC-20 mean when I'm sending stablecoins?
ERC-20 is Ethereum's shared token standard: one interface every token contract implements, so any Ethereum wallet can hold any ERC-20 token at the same 0x address. When an exchange asks you to pick "USDT ERC-20" versus "USDT TRC-20," it is asking which network should carry the token — the same dollar-pegged asset, on different rails with different fees and speeds.
The choice matters mechanically: an ERC-20 USDT withdrawal must go to an Ethereum (0x…) address, and a TRC-20 withdrawal to a Tron (T…) address. Matching the network on both sides is the single most important habit in moving stablecoins; our stablecoin networks guide covers every pairing.
Why is Ethereum cheaper than it used to be?
Ethereum's answer to congestion was to become a settlement layer for faster chains built on top of it — Layer 2 networks like Arbitrum, Base, and Optimism. The March 2024 Dencun upgrade gave those L2s dedicated cheap data space ("blobs"), which moved a huge share of everyday activity off the base chain. With demand spread out, base-layer gas in 2025–2026 has run far below the $20–$100 transfers of the 2021 cycle.
For consumers the practical takeaway: sending ETH or ERC-20 stablecoins on Ethereum mainnet is affordable again for mid-size transfers, and L2s or alt-networks (Tron, Solana) remain the cheap lane for small, frequent ones.
How final is an Ethereum transaction?
Ethereum's Proof of Stake finalizes checkpoints every two epochs — about 12.8 minutes. Before that point a transaction is on-chain and being built on (safe for everyday amounts); after it, rollback is cryptographically off the table. That is why most platforms credit deposits within minutes but some custodians wait for full finality on large amounts.
There are no chargebacks and no reversals. Like every public blockchain, a confirmed Ethereum transaction is final — verify the address (and the network) before you send, every time.
Stablecoins on Ethereum
| Stablecoin | Standard | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDTTether USD | ERC-20 | Major | Tens of billions of USDT circulate on Ethereum in 2026 — the deepest stablecoin liquidity in DeFi |
| USDCUSD Coin | ERC-20 | Major | Ethereum is USDC's home network; Circle issues natively here first |
.svg){kind=small} DAIDai / USDS | ERC-20 | Supported | The largest decentralized (crypto-collateralized) stablecoin; issued by Sky, formerly MakerDAO |
What does a Ethereum address look like?
| Format | Looks like | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard address | 0x + 40 hex characters | The same address holds ETH and every ERC-20 token (USDT, USDC, LINK, SHIB…) |
| ENS name | yourname.eth | Human-readable alias that resolves to a 0x address in supporting wallets |
Buy ETH or stablecoins on Ethereum — the #1 place to buy crypto with a debit card, wire, Apple Pay & more
Anytime Capital is a US-based money services business with thousands of customers. Debit and credit cards from every major US bank work here, verification takes minutes, and delivery goes straight to the Ethereum address you choose.
- Wire transfer
- Cash in person
Digital assets are not FDIC-insured, are not bank deposits, and may lose value. Availability and limits subject to identity verification and compliance review.
Hold ETH in the best and fastest non-custodial wallet
The Anytime Capital wallet is an Ethereum smart wallet: it holds ETH plus USDT and USDC as ERC-20 tokens on the same address, non-custodially.
Your keys, always
Non-custodial by design — Anytime Capital never holds your coins.
Fast on every chain
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, TRON, and Litecoin with live network fees shown before you send.
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Bitcoin10–60 minutes · BTCTRON1–3 minutes · TRX · TRC-20SolanaUnder 1 minute · SOL · SPLLitecoin5–30 minutes · LTCXRP Ledger3–10 seconds · XRPDogecoin2–20 minutes · DOGE.svg){kind=small}
PolygonUnder 5 minutes · POL · ERC-20 (Ethereum-compatible).svg){kind=small}
BNB Smart ChainUnder 2 minutes · BNB · BEP-20 (Ethereum-compatible)AvalancheUnder 2 minutes · AVAX · ERC-20 (C-Chain, Ethereum-compatible)Cardano2–10 minutes · ADAStellar3–10 seconds · XLMTONUnder 1 minute · TON · Jetton.svg){kind=small}
ArbitrumSeconds (exchange credits usually under 10 minutes) · ARB · ERC-20 (Ethereum-compatible).svg){kind=small}
OptimismSeconds (exchange credits usually under 10 minutes) · OP · ERC-20 (Ethereum-compatible).svg){kind=small}
BaseSeconds (exchange credits usually under 10 minutes) · ETH · ERC-20 (Ethereum-compatible)SuiUnder 1 minute · SUI.svg){kind=small}
AptosUnder 1 minute · APT.svg){kind=small}
NEARUnder 1 minute · NEAR.svg){kind=small}
SeiUnder 1 minute · SEI · EVM-compatible since the 2024 v2 upgrade.svg){kind=small}
InjectiveUnder 1 minute · INJ.svg){kind=small}
KaspaUnder 2 minutes · KAS.svg){kind=small}
Hedera3–10 seconds · HBAR.svg){kind=small}
Internet ComputerUnder 1 minute · ICP.svg){kind=small}
CosmosUnder 1 minute · ATOMPolkadot1–2 minutes · DOTBitcoin Cash10–60 minutes (usable in seconds for small payments) · BCH.svg){kind=small}
Ethereum ClassicMinutes on-chain; exchange credits often take hours · ETC · ERC-20 compatible (its own token ecosystem is minimal).svg){kind=small}
StacksUnder 2 minutes · STX