The Ethereum Foundation (EF) deposited more than 45,000 ETH on Friday, bringing its total staked holdings to about 69,500 ETH — roughly 500 ETH short of its 70,000 ETH target. The recent additions were submitted in multiple transactions of 2,047 ETH each. Arkham Intelligence estimated the value of Friday’s deposits at over $92.2 million.
The foundation began staking in February under a revised treasury policy announced in June 2025. The EF says it plans to use staking yield to support protocol research, development and ecosystem grants. In the updated policy the foundation said it is “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.”
Earlier deposits by the EF included 2,016 ETH (about $4.1 million) in February and 22,517 ETH (about $46.1 million) in March. Arkham Intelligence reports the foundation has locked more than $143 million in ETH into the Ethereum Beacon Deposit Contract to date.
The move toward a yield-bearing treasury follows pressure from parts of the community for the EF to generate income from its holdings rather than fund operations by selling tokens. The foundation has previously sold ETH in over-the-counter transactions, including a $10.2 million sale to BitMine.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has cautioned that the EF’s staking could compel the foundation to take positions during any future contentious hard fork, writing in January 2025 that staking “de facto forces us to take a position on any future contentious hard fork.” The EF is reportedly evaluating measures to reduce centralization risks associated with its staking activity.
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