Ethereum (ETH) coin is worth $2,482. It's dipping below the $2,500 mark for the first time since last November.

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) gained 70% over the same nearly five-year period while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) stock market index rose 43%.

Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) coin is trading at $2,482 as of 10:38 AM ET on Friday, dipping below the $2,500 mark for the first time since last November.

If you bought Ethereum a year ago, you'd be down by nearly 15%. In contrast, Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) gained 70% over the same nearly five-year period while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) stock market index rose 43%.

Over the past five years, Ethereum has generated a staggering 2,011.3% return for investors. To put this in perspective, a $1,000 investment in Ethereum in March 2018 would have soared to an astounding $51,000 today. In comparison, investing $1,000 in Bitcoin over the same period would have yielded around $6,900.

suggest that financial institutions are now entering the cryptocurrency market in a big way.

Earlier this year, a report by DeFi researcher Token Terminal indicated that Arbitrum and Optimism sped up the main Ethereum network so much that the long-awaited introduction of sharding (splitting up the blockchain network into several systems running in parallel) was canceled.

"The belief that blockchain networks need to be 'fast' or 'cheap' to succeed is a common misconception. Instead, the true essence of blockchain lies in its ability to coordinate large-scale cooperation and shared decision-making in a trustless manner," the researcher stated.

"This is precisely what Ethereum does best, and it's the very reason why Arbitrum and Optimism, despite their impressive performance, pose no threat to Ethereum's market dominance."

However, despite the rapid growth of the DeFi sector and the integration of data-feeding oracle coins like Chainlink (CRYPTO:LINK), there are still hurdles to overcome in expanding the use cases for cryptocurrencies.

suggest that Blackrock's iShares Ethereum Trust, currently known as iShares Trust, might be the next product to launch.

"With Bitcoin already covered and the crypto market eagerly awaiting iShares Ethereum Trust, all eyes are turning to the next product to launch from Blackrock's vast portfolio," the outlet reports.

"While speculations abound regarding iShares Trust and its potential to revolutionize the crypto industry, one thing remains clear: Blackrock's entry into the crypto domain is a pivotal moment that will shape the future of both the traditional and digital financial markets."

Earlier this year, Blackrock launched a Bitcoin private trust, catering to the investment needs of accredited institutions in the United States. This move signaled a significant shift in Blackrock's strategy to engage more deeply with the cryptocurrency market.