Key Takeaways:
- The Ethereum Foundation staked 45,034 ETH on April 3, 2026, pushing its total to roughly 69,500 ETH.
- The 70,000 ETH staking initiative is projected to generate $3.9–$5.4 million annually, reducing ETH sales.
- Arkham Intelligence data shows the EF still holds over 100,000 ETH total, with plans to reach its full target soon.
Ethereum Foundation Staking Update: 69,500 ETH Now Securing Proof-of- Stake Network
The April 3 deposits, valued at roughly $93 million at prevailing prices near $2,059, arrived in multiple batches of 2,047 ETH each. Onchain data tracked by Arkham Intelligence confirmed the transfers from the foundation’s multisig wallet to the Beacon Chain deposit contract. The foundation now holds approximately 69,500 ETH in active validators, worth around $143 million.
The foundation announced the Treasury Staking Initiative on Feb. 24, 2026, following a treasury policy update adopted in June 2025. The stated goal was to stake roughly 70,000 ETH to generate yield without selling assets. The initiative came in response to sustained community criticism over the foundation’s practice of liquidating ETH to cover annual operating expenses estimated near $100 million.
The program launched with an initial deposit of 2,016 ETH on or around Feb. 24-25. A second major round on March 30-31 added 22,517 ETH across 11 transactions, bringing the cumulative total at that point to roughly 24,623 ETH, valued at approximately $50 million.
All staking rewards flow directly back into the EF treasury to fund protocol research, ecosystem grants, and daily operations. The foundation expects the staked ETH to generate between $3.9 million and $5.4 million annually, based on an institutional staking yield of 2.7% to 3.8%. Maximal Extractable Value rewards could push returns higher.
The foundation runs the validators using open-source tools, specifically Dirk and Vouch. Dirk distributes signing across multiple geographic regions. Vouch supports diverse Beacon and Execution client pairings to reduce client concentration risk. The setup uses minority clients and a mix of hosted and self-managed hardware across jurisdictions.
Validators use Type 2 withdrawal credentials, which allow for transferable balances and reduce the number of signing keys required. With a maximum effective balance of 2,048 ETH per validator, the foundation requires roughly 35 signing keys to manage its full position.
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Onchain records show the foundation held approximately 102,400 ETH across roughly 14 tracked addresses before the April 3 deposits. It maintains holdings in other assets, including USDC, BNB, and bitcoin, preserving financial flexibility outside the staked position.
The initiative shifts the foundation’s operating model from one dependent on periodic ETH sales, which can weigh on market prices, to one supported by native staking yield. Observers in the Ethereum community have broadly interpreted the move as a sign of institutional confidence in the proof-of- stake network.
