- Bitmine stakes 771,000 ETH, signaling strong institutional participation.
- Grayscale ETHE pays first U.S. staking rewards, a milestone for investors.
- ETH trades around $3,200, up 2% on broader crypto momentum.
Ethereum’s staking is accelerating as major institutional players take the lead, with Bitmine deploying hundreds of thousands of ETH and Grayscale delivering staking rewards directly to U.S. investors for the first time.
Bitmine Stakes 771,000 ETH
According to CryptoQuant, Bitmine, Ethereum’s largest decentralized autonomous trust (DAT), has staked approximately 771,000 ETH in just two weeks, representing 18.6% of its 4.14 million ETH holdings.
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This move shows that Bitmine is not only acquiring ETH with capital but is now earning rewards through staking, a development that strengthens Ethereum’s network security while generating yield for one of the blockchain’s largest holders.
Grayscale ETHE Delivers First-Ever Staking Payout
Meanwhile, Grayscale has reached a U.S. first by distributing staking rewards through its Grayscale Ethereum Staking ETF (Ticker: ETHE).
The Fund made a distribution to shareholders for rewards earned between October 6 and December 31, 2025, amounting to $0.083178 per share. ETHE shares traded ex-dividend on January 5, 2026, with payouts scheduled for January 6.
Peter Mintzberg, CEO of Grayscale, called the milestone “a landmark moment…for the entire Ethereum community and ETPs at large,” highlighting the company’s efforts to integrate staking rewards directly into investor returns.
The ETHE product and Grayscale Ethereum Staking Mini ETF (ETH) became the first U.S. Ethereum ETPs to enable staking in October 2025, with their renaming in January 2026 reflecting this added functionality.
As of January 6, Ethereum is trading around $3,200, up about 2% in the past 24 hours, supported by momentum across the broader crypto market.
Why This Matters
These developments highlight a rising trend in Ethereum staking, as large holders like Bitmine and regulated products such as Grayscale’s ETHE demonstrate growing institutional confidence in the network’s security and yield potential.
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People Also Ask:
Ethereum staking allows ETH holders to lock up their coins in the network to help secure transactions and validate blocks. In return, stakers earn staking rewards, which act like interest on their holdings. This is a key part of Ethereum’s transition to Proof of Stake (PoS).
Bitmine is Ethereum’s largest decentralized autonomous trust (DAT), managing millions of ETH. Their recent staking of 771,000 ETH (18.6% of holdings) shows large holders are actively earning network rewards, signaling strong institutional confidence in Ethereum staking.
Grayscale ETHE is a U.S.-listed Ethereum exchange-traded product (ETP) that allows investors to gain exposure to ETH and receive staking rewards indirectly, without interacting with Ethereum protocols themselves. In January 2026, ETHE distributed staking rewards to shareholders for the first time.
Large holders and regulated products bring liquidity, security, and credibility to Ethereum’s staking ecosystem. Their participation encourages broader adoption and demonstrates the potential for both network security and investor yield.
