Discover True Value: Unlocking Profitable Opportunities on L2s

In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency trading, Ethereum's mainnet often struggles with congestion, leading to high gas fees and slow transaction times. This is particularly problematic for high-frequency trading (HFT), where milliseconds can make or break a profit. Enter Layer-2 (L2) scaling solutions like Optimism and Base, which build on Ethereum's security while offering faster, cheaper transactions. These platforms are transforming how traders execute arbitrage (arb) strategies in congested markets, enabling true value discovery through efficient infrastructure.

We'll explore historical performance using transaction data from sources like SoSoValue and L2Beat, incorporating insights from the provided StablePulse chart on daily transaction volume (in USD value transferred). We'll also forecast efficiency gains for the remainder of 2025 based on recent upgrades and trends. By the end, you'll understand how these L2s build on foundational trading strategies, shifting focus to blockchain infrastructure for sustainable gains.

Understanding L2 Scaling and Its Role in HFT

Layer-2 solutions process transactions off the Ethereum mainnet (Layer-1) but settle them back on it for security. Optimism and Base, both using optimistic rollups, assume transactions are valid unless challenged, allowing near-instant confirmations with low fees, often under $0.01 per trade.

Optimism (OP): Launched in 2021, Optimism uses the OP Stack, a modular framework for building customizable chains. It's known for its Superchain ecosystem, which interconnects multiple L2s for seamless interoperability. As of August 2025, Optimism handles around 1-1.3 million daily transactions, with a total value locked (TVL) around $478 million. Recent 30-day data shows an average of about 1.26 million transactions per day.

Base: Developed by Coinbase and built on the OP Stack, Base launched in 2023 and has surged in popularity due to its user-friendly onboarding and integration with Coinbase's ecosystem. As of August 2025, it boasts over 8-9 million daily transactions, with TVL exceeding $6.6 billion, driven by retail and DeFi activity. The 30-day average is approximately 9.25 million transactions per day.

These L2s enable HFT by reducing latency and costs, making strategies like arbitrage viable even during peak market volatility. Unlike Ethereum's mainnet, where fees can spike to $10+, L2s maintain stability, allowing bots to execute thousands of trades per day profitably.

Historical Performance: Insights from Transaction Data

To illustrate the growth and efficiency of these L2s, let's integrate data from SoSoValue's on-chain dashboard and other sources like L2Beat. We'll distinguish between transaction count (number of tx/day) and transaction volume (total value transferred in USD). The provided chart from StablePulse.org shows daily transaction volume by chain up to July 5, 2025, highlighting Base's dominance at $37.31 billion, far outpacing Optimism at $969.4 million and others like Ethereum at $21.21 billion. This chart demonstrates the explosive growth in value transferred on Base since early 2024, with a sharp upward trend in the blue line representing Base.

Optimism Transaction Trends (2024-2025)

Based on available data, Optimism's daily transaction count averaged around 600,000 in early 2024, increasing steadily. By mid-2025, volumes stabilized at about 1.2-1.8 million daily, with a peak of over 2.15 million on July 28, 2025. As of August 2025, the average is around 1.26 million tx/day over the past 30 days, with a TPS of about 12.74. This growth correlates with upgrades like the Delta hard fork and Superchain expansions, which reduced costs and boosted throughput.

Key Data Points:

In terms of value volume, the StablePulse chart shows Optimism at $969.4 million on July 5, 2025, reflecting a moderate but steady position among L2s.

This historical performance highlights Optimism's resilience, with transaction counts doubling as more protocols (e.g., Synthetix, Uniswap) migrate for lower fees.

Base Transaction Trends (2024-2025)

Base has seen explosive growth in transaction count. Starting from around 800,000-1.2 million daily in early 2024, it reached 2-3 million by year-end, fueled by memecoin hype and Coinbase's user base. By mid-2025, averages hit 3-4 million, with peaks over 14 million on May 29, 2025. In August 2025, volumes are at 8-9 million+ on peak days, with a 30-day average of 9.25 million—outpacing Optimism and capturing a significant L2 market share.

Key Data Points:

For value volume, the StablePulse chart underscores Base's leadership, with $37.31 billion on July 5, 2025, indicating superior efficiency for high-throughput applications like HFT.

These metrics demonstrate Base's dominance, with both count and value volume surging in 2025.

Profitable Arb Strategies (Optimism & Base)

Arbitrage exploits price discrepancies across markets. On L2s, low fees and fast execution amplify profits. Here are breakdown strategies tailored to these platforms:

Cross-L2 Arbitrage (Non-Atomic):

Statistical Arbitrage with Oracles:

MEV and Latency Arb:

Forecasting 2025 Efficiency Gains

As of August 2025, 2025 has already seen significant optimizations, with further gains expected in Q4. Vitalik Buterin has discussed Ethereum's scaling strategy, emphasizing L1 and L2 improvements. L2 fees have remained low, with Base exceeding 100 TPS consistently. Forecasts include:

Optimism: The Superchain Upgrade 16 in Q3 2025 focuses on interoperability and security, potentially boosting TPS by 50% and reducing fees to sub-cent levels. Expect 2-3 million daily tx by year-end, per ongoing growth trends and upgrade spree fueling Superchain ambitions.

Base: As a leading L2 in revenue and TVL (over 5-10% market share), upgrades like fault proofs enhance security, driving toward 10+ million tx/day by Q4.

Overall, efficiency gains: 30-50% lower latency, 20% volume growth quarterly. Projections show L2s like optimistic rollups dominating, capturing 80% of Ethereum activity and enabling HFT arb yields of 10-20% annualized for sophisticated traders.