Ethereum Foundation Stakes ₱8.65 billion ($143 million), Hits 69,500 ETH Target
The Ethereum Foundation announced a revamped treasury strategy to enhance financial sustainability, deploying capital into staking and DeFi while shifting away from periodic open-market ETH sales that drew community criticism.
Key Takeaway
Ethereum Foundation choosing to stake rather than sell signals insider confidence despite governance risks Buterin flagged.
The Ethereum Foundation deployed 45,000 ETH into staking on Friday in a series of transactions worth ₱5.57 billion ($92.2 million), according to data from Arkham Intelligence. That single-day push brought the Foundation's total staked holdings to 69,500 ETH — just 500 ETH shy of the 70,000 target it unveiled in February. The transactions followed a pattern of 2,047 ETH deposits into the Ethereum Beacon Deposit Contract, locking a total of ₱8.65 billion ($143 million) in ETH across all staking activity since February.
The staking sprint marks a sharp tactical shift for the Foundation. After staking just 2,016 ETH worth ₱247.89 million ($4.1 million) in February and 22,517 ETH worth ₱2.79 billion ($46.1 million) in March, the Friday deployment accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total push toward the 70,000 goal. The Foundation announced a revamped treasury strategy in June, stating it would move increasingly into staking and DeFi to enhance financial sustainability and support permissionless infrastructure.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin flagged governance risks in January, warning that staking by the Foundation de facto forces it to take a position on any future contentious hard fork. Buterin noted the Foundation is exploring ways to mitigate centralization risks posed by its staking activities during potential network splits. The Foundation has plowed ahead while also shifting away from periodic open-market ETH sales that drew sustained community criticism, conducting two recent over-the-counter sales — 10,000 ETH to SharpLink Gaming in July and 5,000 ETH to BitMine Immersion Technologies worth $10.2 million.
The Foundation still holds $303 million in undeployed ETH reserves after the staking event. Analysts viewed the staking activity as a strong insider signal, noting that the Foundation's belief in holding ETH over selling amid market downturns sent a message about where leadership sees value, with the Foundation now controlling 69,500 ETH locked in the Beacon Deposit Contract as of April 2026.
This article was written based on reporting from Cointelegraph.
