Ethereum Staking Rebounds: 745K ETH Added as Exit Queue Empties
Ethereum's staking landscape has gotten a shakeup for the first time in 6 months, with a whopping 745,619 ETH...
Quick overview
- Ethereum's staking landscape has seen a significant shift, with 745,619 ETH queued for staking and a reduced withdrawal queue of 360,518 ETH.
- This convergence indicates growing confidence among validators as Ethereum approaches 2026, potentially leading to less selling pressure.
- Historically, increased staking activity has preceded price rallies, suggesting a positive market sentiment as ETH trades at $3,000.
- Factors driving this trend include increased demand from digital asset treasury firms, BitMine's substantial staking, and anticipation of the Ethereum Pectra upgrade.
Ethereum’s staking landscape has gotten a shakeup for the first time in 6 months, with a whopping 745,619 ETH lined up to start staking, which should only take about 13 days to work its way through. But in contrast, the queue of folks wanting to pull their ETH out has plummeted to 360,518 – an 8-day wait – a complete reversal of the trend where withdrawals were running roughshod over deposits.
This sudden convergence is a big deal, as it suggests that validators are becoming more confident in the network as we head into 2026. Ethereum’s a proof-of-stake play, which means validators need to lock up some ETH to look after the network. There tends to be less selling when staking activity rises, which makes it an important indicator of market sentiment.
Market Implications – What It All Means
There was a flip over the weekend when both the entry and exit queues converged at about 460,000 ETH. Since then, deposits have started pouring in, and it’s looking like the queue of people pulling their ETH out could disappear if the current trend holds. We’ve been here before, though – similar reversals in the past have preceded some nice price rallies.
As Abdul, head of DeFi at the blockchain firm Monad, pointed out on X, historically, when staking activity starts going up – as it did in June when ETH was trading at $2800 – it tends to lead to some pretty big price action. In this case, ETH went on to hit a record high of $4946 by late August.
Ethereum Staking Is Telling a Quiet Story 👀
For the first time in 6 months, ETH staking entries are 2x higher than exits.
👉 746k ETH waiting to stake vs 361k ETH waiting to leave.To me, this looks like growing long-term conviction. Less sell pressure, more ETH getting… pic.twitter.com/uy9b827p0b
— Volf Web3 (@volfweb3) December 29, 2025
ETH is currently trading at $3,000 – indicating a cautiously optimistic market.
Key stats to keep an eye on:
- Total ETH supply moved since July: It’s up by about 5%
- In September, Kiln had to unstake about 70% of its ETH to BitMine.
- BitMine is now holding around 3.4% of the total ETH supply.
It’s these kinds of movements that show just how much staking activity can indicate market liquidity and the extent of selling.
The Exit Queue Might Hit Zero Soon
Looking ahead, if staking activity continues as it has, the queue of folks waiting to withdraw their ETH might hit zero by January 3rd, 2026. If that happens, it’s likely to take some of the pressure off and stabilize the price.
So what’s driving all this? Well, for a start, there is:
- Digital asset treasury firms are upping their game and demanding more ETH.
- BitMine has started staking over 342,000 ETH ($1B) in just a couple of days.
- There is also anticipation around the Ethereum Pectra upgrade, which should make staking more efficient and improve validators’ capacity.
- And then there’s DeFi – it’s been deleveraging due to higher borrowing rates, which is reshaping the flow of supply
All of this is making Ethereum look good for a smoother market in 2026 – and staking going up should be a key indicator of just how confident investors are in the network.
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