Five researchers walked out of the Ethereum Foundation and built their own shop. Not because they lost faith in Ethereum, but because they think the network isn’t moving fast enough toward what they see as its destiny: becoming the backbone of global finance.
Ethlabs, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, officially launched on June 22, 2026. Its executive director, Ansgar Dietrichs, has been making the case that Ethereum is at a “unique moment” requiring serious preparation for large-scale institutional demand. The core thesis is blunt: DeFi is expected to dominate all of finance within a decade, and Ethereum needs to start acting like it.
What Ethlabs actually is, and why it exists
The founding team reads like a who’s who of Ethereum protocol research. Alongside Dietrichs, the roster includes Barnabé Monnot, Caspar Schwarz-Schilling, Josh Rudolf, and Julian Ma. All five previously worked at the Ethereum Foundation.
The Ethlabs founders perceived a shift in the Foundation’s priorities, one they felt left a gap in forward-looking protocol design specifically tailored for financial infrastructure.
