Ethereum Foundation Approaches 70000 ETH With New Financial Plan

A symbolic threshold is about to be crossed by the Ethereum Foundation. With nearly 70,000 ETH now staked, the institution is accelerating a major strategic shift in managing its treasury. Behind this rise is a clear objective: generate returns without selling its reserves. This repositioning goes beyond financial logic as it also redefines its role in the ecosystem and raises governance issues.

A spectacular acceleration towards 70,000 ETH

The Ethereum Foundation has reached a new milestone by raising its staked holdings to 69,500 ETH, less than 500 units from its target set a few weeks earlier. This progress accelerated with a massive deposit of more than 45,000 ETH in a single day, confirming a scaling change in its strategy.

According to Arkham Intelligence data, this transaction represents more than 92.2 million dollars, bringing the total locked funds to over 143 million dollars. This dynamic is part of a progressive trajectory begun since February.

In detail, the rise of staking by the foundation is based on several key steps :

• In February: 2,016 ETH staked (approximately 4.1 million dollars) ;
• In March: an additional 22,517 ETH (approximately 46.1 million dollars) ;
• The latest operation: over 45,000 ETH deposited in a single day ;
• The structure of transactions: deposits split into batches of 2,047 ETH ;
• The current total: 69,500 ETH staked, close to the 70,000 goal.

This strategy responds to an official reorientation of the foundation towards yield-generating mechanisms. In its updated treasury policy, the organization specifies: “we are increasingly turning to staking and DeFi to strengthen our financial viability while supporting a key category of applications that realize the promise of open, secure, and permissionless access to fundamental infrastructure for millions today”.

Returns from staking are intended to finance research, protocol development, and ecosystem grants.

A strategy under pressure, between yield and governance

This evolution goes beyond financial optimization. It occurs in a context of increasing pressure from the Ethereum community, which called on the foundation to reduce its ETH sales and make greater use of its reserves to generate income. The choice of staking and DeFi thus marks a direct response to these criticisms, while strengthening the Ethereum Foundation’s presence in fundamental network mechanisms.

However, this positioning raises governance questions. Staking involves active participation in network validation, with potential consequences in case of major disagreement.

Vitalik Buterin himself warned on this point, stating: “if the Ethereum Foundation stakes its own funds, it is de facto forced to take a position on any future contested hard fork”. Aware of this issue, the foundation is exploring solutions to limit centralization risks linked to its growing involvement.

As the Ethereum Foundation, thanks to modernizing its grant program, establishes itself as a major staking actor, its role evolves towards that of a full economic participant in the network. This transformation could strengthen the ecosystem’s financial stability while redefining power balances. It remains to be seen if this model will reconcile yield, neutrality, and decentralization in the long term.