The Ethereum Foundation moved a fresh chunk of ether into staking this week, putting its treasury to work without selling coins.
According to Arkham on-chain data, the foundation sent roughly 45,034 ETH — about $93 million at the time — to the Eth2 Beacon Chain deposit contract on Thursday. Those deposits were made in uniform 2,047-ETH chunks from the foundation’s treasury multisig (22 deposits total), bringing its cumulative staked position to roughly $143 million and effectively meeting the 70,000 ETH commitment the foundation announced in February.
A quick timeline: the foundation began the program in February with an initial 2,016 ETH deposit, added roughly 20,470 ETH on Monday, and then completed the remaining balance with Thursday’s bulk transfers. At about $2,059 per ETH during the deposits, the total staked position equates to roughly 69,500 ETH — essentially the pledged 70,000 ETH.
Arkham’s tracking shows the foundation controls about $270.9 million in assets across 14 addresses, with ETH as the primary holding (approximately 102,400 ETH, valued at roughly $210.9 million). The treasury also holds smaller positions in USDC, BNB and a small amount of bitcoin.
Why this matters: staking locks up ETH to help secure the network and earns rewards — akin to earning interest on a bond. At prevailing institutional staking rates (roughly 2.7%–3.8% APY), the newly staked position would generate about $3.9 million to $5.4 million per year, with potential upside from MEV-boost strategies. That yield is modest compared with the foundation’s historical annual operating budget (near $100 million), but staking converts idle ETH into a revenue-generating asset without the market impact of outright sales.
The move marks a strategic shift away from the foundation’s prior practice of selling ETH to fund operations — a tactic that drew criticism through 2024 and early 2025 for weighing on prices. Staking reduces the need to liquidate holdings, though it doesn’t completely remove the possibility of future sales.
Completing the initial 70,000 ETH target doesn’t end the story: the foundation still holds roughly 102,400 ETH in total across its tracked addresses, and it has not announced whether it will expand staking beyond the pledged amount or keep the remainder liquid as a reserve.
Market snapshot: ether was trading around $2,059 at the time of the deposits, about 4.3% lower over the past week.
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