Ethereum Foundation stakes $93 million of ether in a day, reaching its 70,000 ETH target

The Ethereum Foundation staked roughly $93 million in ether (ETH) on Thursday in several batches, bringing its total staked position to approximately $143 million and nearly completing the 70,000 ETH staking target it announced in February, according to Arkham data.

The total deposit of 45,034 ETH was split into uniform chunks of 2,047 ETH, each worth roughly $4.23 million, sent from the foundation’s treasury multisig to the Eth2 Beacon Chain deposit contract.

At roughly $2,059 per ETH, the $143 million total staked position works out to approximately 69,500 ETH, nearly the full 70,000 ETH commitment.

The foundation had been building toward the target incrementally since February, starting with an initial 2,016 ETH deposit and adding roughly 20,470 ETH on Monday. Thursday’s batch covered the remaining balance in one shot.

The foundation’s Arkham-tracked portfolio shows approximately $270.9 million in total assets across 14 addresses, with ETH as the dominant holding at roughly 102,400 ETH ($210.9 million). Smaller positions include USDC, BNB, and a fraction of a bitcoin.

Yield income

Staking is the process of locking up cryptocurrency to help secure a blockchain and earn rewards. It’s analogous to buying bonds and lending money to the government in return for fixed income yields.

At current staking rates, the position would generate roughly $3.9 million to $5.4 million annually at the 2.7% to 3.8% APY range typical for institutional stakers. With MEV-boost, returns could run higher.

That is modest relative to the foundation’s annual operating expenses, which have historically run near $100 million, but it converts a dormant treasury into a productive one without selling ETH.

Why staking?

The Ethereum Foundation is putting its ETH to work through staking, earning rewards that help fund research, grants, and operations — all without needing to sell its coins, creating a long-term, self-sustaining treasury.

This replaces the earlier model where the foundation resorted to ETH sales that weighed over valuations. The foundation faced criticism for the same through 2024 and early 2025.

With staking, the foundation earns yield. The shift, however, does not fully eliminate the need to sell entirely.

At the same time, completing the 70,000 ETH target does not mean staking is done. The foundation still holds over 100,000 unstaked ETH. Whether it expands the program beyond the initial commitment or holds the rest as liquid reserves has not been announced.

Ether traded at $2,059 at the time of the deposits, down roughly 4.3% over the past week.