BlackRock moves to add staking to Ethereum ETF amid surge in inflows
- BlackRock seeks to enable staking in its ETHA fund, aiming to boost returns and efficiency for investors.
- ETH ETFs see $726M in daily inflows, with BlackRock’s ETHA leading at nearly $500M, amid rising demand.
- SEC openness to staking ETFs grows, following approval of the first Solana staking fund and increasing industry filings.
BlackRock has filed to incorporate staking into its iShares Ethereum Trust (ticker: ETHA), the largest Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF) by assets under management.
The move, disclosed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, follows growing institutional interest in Ethereum staking products and comes amid record-breaking net inflows into ETH ETFs.
The filing was submitted by Nasdaq under SEC Rule 19b-4, which national securities exchanges follow to propose new fund structures.
BlackRock is the latest asset manager to pursue staking capabilities for its Ethereum fund, joining a competitive field that includes Grayscale, 21Shares, and others with similar proposals already in the pipeline.
BlackRock’s filing outlines that the trust may stake “all or a portion” of its ETH holdings through one or more trusted staking providers.
The proposal specifies that the ether held by the trust will not be pooled with other entities, nor will the trust assume risk on behalf of others from slashing or network forks.
Coinbase, currently acting as custodian and prime execution agent for ETHA, is expected to serve as the fund’s staking partner.
Record ETH inflows signal demand
The filing comes at a moment of surging interest in Ethereum investment products.
On Wednesday, ETH ETFs recorded their highest single-day net inflow since launch, totaling $726.74 million, with BlackRock’s ETHA accounting for $499 million of that sum.
So far in July, ETH ETFs have attracted over $2.27 billion in net inflows, marking the strongest monthly inflow to date, according to data from SoSoValue.
ETHA was approved in July 2024, as part of a group of spot Ethereum ETFs greenlit by the SEC shortly after it approved the first spot Bitcoin ETFs earlier in the year.
ETHA currently holds over $7.9 billion in assets, underscoring BlackRock’s leadership position in Ethereum-based exchange-traded products.
BlackRock’s Head of Digital Assets, Robert Mitchnick, has previously signaled that staking would be the “next phase” for crypto ETFs.
Thursday’s filing appears to make that vision concrete, at a time when regulatory momentum and investor interest are aligning.
Staking ETFs enter regulatory spotlight
BlackRock’s move comes shortly after the SEC approved the REX-Osprey Solana Staking ETF, the first US-based staking ETF, earlier this month.
That product was approved under the more stringent Securities Exchange Act of 1940.
In contrast, BlackRock’s ETHA staking proposal falls under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, under which no staking ETF has yet been approved.
However, SEC officials have indicated growing openness to staking ETFs.
Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart noted on X (formerly Twitter) that “staking is not done,” predicting that approval for Ethereum staking ETFs may arrive as early as Q4 2025.
While BlackRock’s latest filing may not receive a final decision until around April 2026, the broader outlook for staking products appears favorable.
As Ethereum’s price hovers near $3,399—still below its 2021 all-time high of $4,878—the prospect of yield-generating, regulated staking products could further fuel institutional adoption.
With competitors also eyeing staking ETFs for assets like Cronos, Tron, and Injective, BlackRock’s move signals an increasingly diverse crypto ETF landscape taking shape.
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