Identifying reputable Ethereum projects remains a critical challenge within
the expanding blockchain ecosystem. The ability to distinguish between
legitimate initiatives and potentially fraudulent schemes is non-trivial. This
work presents a systematic approach that integrates multiple data sources with
advanced analytics to evaluate credibility, transparency, and overall
trustworthiness. The methodology applies machine learning techniques to analyse
transaction histories on the Ethereum blockchain.
The study classifies accounts based on a dataset comprising 2,179 entities
linked to illicit activities and 3,977 associated with reputable projects.
Using the LightGBM algorithm, the approach achieves an average accuracy of
0.984 and an average AUC of 0.999, validated through 10-fold cross-validation.
Key influential factors include time differences between transactions and
received_tnx.
The proposed methodology provides a robust mechanism for identifying
reputable Ethereum projects, fostering a more secure and transparent investment
environment. By equipping stakeholders with data-driven insights, this research
enables more informed decision-making, risk mitigation, and the promotion of
legitimate blockchain initiatives. Furthermore, it lays the foundation for
future advancements in trust assessment methodologies, contributing to the
continued development and maturity of the Ethereum ecosystem.