The Ethereum Foundation Finally Said 'No More Garage Sales,' Stakes $143M Toward 70K ETH Target

The Ethereum Foundation dropped 45,034 ETH (worth roughly $93 million) on the Beacon Chain Thursday, nearly completing its 70,000 ETH staking target announced back in February. In crypto terms, that's roughly the equivalent of your grandparents finally learning what a blockchain is—belated, but we're taking the W.

The deposits came in uniform chunks of 2,047 ETH, each worth about $4.23 million at current prices, funneled from the foundation's treasury multisig. Thursday's batch brought the total staked position to approximately 69,500 ETH—valued at $143 million at ETH's $2,059 price tag. The precision of those chunk sizes suggests someone at the foundation has a spreadsheet fetish. Actually, we know this because Arkham tracked it. Thanks, Arkham.

For those keeping score, the foundation's Arkham-tracked portfolio holds roughly $270.9 million across 14 addresses, with ETH dominating at about 102,400 ETH ($210.9 million). Small positions in USDC, BNB, and a fraction of a bitcoin make up the leftovers. Yes, you read that right—a fraction of a bitcoin. It's almost like someone at the foundation bought it as a joke in 2017 and forgot about it.

The Staking Math

At institutional staking rates of 2.7% to 3.8% APY, the foundation is looking at $3.9 million to $5.4 million in annual yield. That's chump change compared to the foundation's ~$100 million in annual operating expenses, but hey—it's better than letting ETH collect dust. Passive income is passive income, even if it's not exactly covering the coffee budget for a team this size.

The Strategy Shift

This move marks a pivot from the foundation's old playbook of regularly selling ETH to cover expenses. That approach drew criticism throughout 2024 and early 2025, with critics arguing it created unnecessary sell pressure. Now, the foundation is earning yield without touching its stack—a self-sustaining treasury model that lets it fund research, grants, and operations without becoming a recurring ETH overhang. In non-profit terms, this is basically the crypto equivalent of finally canceling the gym membership you never use while actually using the home gym you set up.

What's Next?

Completing the 70,000 ETH target doesn't mean the foundation is done. It still holds over 100,000 ETH unstaked. Whether those reserves stay liquid or eventually join the staking party remains to be seen. No announcements yet on expanding the program. Because when do they ever announce anything before the data reveals all?

Ether traded at $2,059 at press time, down roughly 4.3% over the past week.