​Ethereum continues to lead the smart contract blockchain space in terms of decentralization. New data from Chainspect shows the network now has more than 897,000 active validators worldwide—a figure that dwarfs those of its major competitors. Cardano operates with roughly 2,900 validators, Algorand has about 1,600, and Solana has around 767. Ethereum’s validator count exceeds its nearest competitor by more than 300 times, reinforcing its position as the most widely distributed Layer-1 blockchain. Why validator numbers matter Validators are the backbone of Ethereum’s Proof-of-Stake system. They verify ... (full story)