The Ethereum Foundation has started staking a portion of its treasury to generate yield and support operations. On Tuesday, it deposited 2,016 ETH into Ethereum’s staking contract and plans to stake about 70,000 ETH in total. Rewards will return to the treasury to fund research, grants, and ecosystem programs.
Blockchain data shows the initial 2,016 ETH deposit went to Ethereum’s staking deposit contract. The associated validator now sits in the activation queue before going live. The move follows the foundation’s June 2025 treasury policy, which outlined a more active approach to managing crypto holdings.
The Swiss nonprofit said it will seek returns while keeping enough reserves for long-term initiatives. It stated that staking helps secure the network and fund protocol research and community development at the same time.
The foundation introduced a treasury policy the previous year that marked a shift from holding assets to deploying them productively. It said it would explore solo staking and supplying ETH to established protocols. The goal is to generate yield while supporting decentralized finance within the Ethereum ecosystem.
In its latest update, the foundation said staking income will be reinvested in core operations. These include protocol research and development, ecosystem growth programs, and developer grants. Public goods funding also forms part of the allocation plan.
The organization reportedly holds more than 172,650 ETH, along with additional wrapped ether. This balance provides flexibility for further deployment over time. As a result, the treasury can adapt based on funding needs and market conditions.
The foundation confirmed that its validators use Type 2, or 0x02, withdrawal credentials. These credentials allow validator balances to transfer through consolidations. They also support higher effective balances per validator, which reduces the number of signing keys required.
This design enables flexible exits that the withdrawal address can trigger even if validators go offline. The approach simplifies key management and supports faster changes in signing key custody. According to the foundation, this setup improves operational efficiency.
In terms of block production, the foundation builds its setup locally. It does not rely on proposer builder separation sidecars. By solo staking its own ETH, it generates native yield directly through Ethereum’s protocol mechanics.
Also Read: Ethereum Fixes Scaling: Why That Could Be a Problem
Staking reshapes how the foundation funds long-term initiatives. Validator rewards can support research, ecosystem programs, and developer grants. This structure reduces the need to sell ETH during market downturns.
The shift arrives during discussions about treasury management across the ecosystem. Market events, including ETH sales by prominent figures such as Vitalik Buterin, have fueled debate about funding strategies. In this context, staking offers an alternative income path.
Potential benefits include more predictable funding for operations and lower market impact compared with token sales. It also strengthens alignment with network security while expanding support for ecosystem growth. As more organizations treat treasury assets as productive capital, could staking become standard practice across crypto foundations?
For market participants tracking these developments, access to reliable platforms remains key. Platforms such as Bitrue allow users to monitor ETH activity, manage portfolios, and participate in crypto markets securely.
The Ethereum Foundation has started staking part of its treasury, beginning with 2,016 ETH and targeting about 70,000 ETH overall. The plan supports network security while generating validator rewards for research, grants, and ecosystem programs. This move also reduces pressure to fund operations through ETH sales.