The Ethereum Foundation (EF), the non-profit organization that stewards the development of the Ethereum ecosystem, has staked an additional 45,000 Ether (ETH), bringing its total staked balance to approximately 69,500 ETH. This latest move leaves the foundation just under 500 ETH from its publicly stated 70,000 ETH goal.
According to data from blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, the EF executed this staking in a series of transactions on Friday, each containing 2,047 ETH. The total value of the coins staked on that day exceeded $92.2 million, based on prevailing market prices. A visual representation of the transfers from the EF’s treasury to the Ethereum Beacon Deposit Contract can be seen below.
A portion of the ETH transfers from the Ethereum Foundation’s treasury to the Ethereum Beacon Deposit Contract for staking. Source: Arkham Intelligence
This strategic shift toward staking began in February 2025, aligning with the EF’s revamped treasury management policy announced the previous June. The generated staking yield is earmarked to fund critical protocol research, ongoing development, and ecosystem grants. In its policy update, the foundation explained the rationale: “We are now increasingly moving into staking and DeFi, both to enhance financial sustainability and to support a key application category that is delivering on the promise of permissionless, secure access to base civilizational infrastructure for millions of people today.”
The foundation’s staking activity has progressed incrementally. It started with 2,016 ETH (worth ~$4.1 million) in February, followed by a much larger 22,517 ETH (worth ~$46.1 million) in March. Including the latest tranche, Arkham Intelligence reports the EF has now locked over $143 million worth of ETH in the Beacon Deposit Contract. A snapshot of the foundation’s broader crypto holdings and counterparties is available below.
The Ethereum Foundation’s crypto holdings and counterparties. Source: Arkham Intelligence
This adoption of a yield-bearing strategy came after sustained advocacy from parts of the Ethereum community. The pressure urged the EF to generate operational income from its substantial treasury holdings rather than periodically selling assets to cover expenses, a practice that could be perceived as exerting downward price pressure.
Related: Ethereum Foundation sells $10.2M worth of ETH to BitMine in OTC deal
Vitalik Buterin Highlights Centralization Risks of EF Staking
While the move bolsters the foundation’s financial model, it introduces important nuance regarding network governance and potential chain splits. Validators, who lock up tokens to secure proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains like Ethereum, have the technical ability to signal support for one chain over another during a contentious network hard fork or partition.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin acknowledged this implication in January 2025, stating: “If EF stakes, ourselves, this de facto forces us to take a position on any future contentious hard fork.” He noted that the foundation is actively exploring technical and governance mechanisms to mitigate the centralization risks and perceived influence that could arise from its role as a major validator during such events.
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