Ethereum staking rose to 36.32% despite ETH's drop

Ethereum staking rose to 36.32% of the total supply, even though ETH fell to $2016.14. This matters for large holders and traders who are watching liquidity and liquidation risk.

Santiment and CryptoQuant drew attention to this gap between price and on-chain data. According to their data, the number of large transactions in Lido Staked Ethereum exceeded 630 per day. This is the highest sustained level since April.

In absolute terms, 44,538,074 ETH is currently staked. That is a large amount. And it is what makes changes in the behavior of large wallets noticeable for the entire market.

Why is staking rising when ETH is getting cheaper?

There is no single simple answer here. Santiment believes that large stETH holders are not just withdrawing coins. They are restructuring positions.

Some of the stETH appears to be working as collateral for new operations. In other words, the coins are not necessarily leaving the system. They are simply starting to play a different role.

This is an important nuance for the market. When the price falls and staking rises, it is not always a sign of calm. Sometimes it means a search for liquidity without fully exiting ETH.

There is another context as well. After the Pectra upgrade, activated on May 7, 2025, large stakers gained more room to work with validators. As a result, Ethereum staking became more flexible. And that is already visible in the data.

What do the Ethereum staking market figures show?

CryptoQuant sees two signals at once. The first, long-term one, is the growing share of staked coins. The second, short-term one, is a 40.11% drop in daily staking inflows.

These data do not contradict each other. The total amount staked is growing. But there are fewer new inflows today. That is why the market is reading these metrics very carefully.

Analysts call the $2100 level key. If ETH holds near this mark and large transactions stay above 500 per day, the market may look toward $2200 again.

But there is also a risky scenario. If ETH falls below $2050 amid high leverage, liquidation risk will increase. Then price pressure could intensify quickly.

• Large transactions in Lido Staked Ethereum exceeded 630 per day.

• This is the highest sustained level since April.

• Ethereum's staking share rose to 36.32%.

• Since May, this share has added 4.32%.

• Daily staking inflows fell by 40.11%.

• ETH is now trading near $2016.14, below the $2100 level.

What does this mean for investors?

For long-term ETH holders, this is more of a positive signal. When the staking share rises to 36.32%, there are fewer free coins on the market. That can support the price if demand does not disappear.

But there is no complete protection here. Staked coins are not locked forever. Validators can initiate withdrawals. So staking does not eliminate risk entirely.

It is also worth looking separately at Lido. According to the protocol itself, 9,661,649 ETH are deposited in it, TVL stands at $23.79 billion, and the estimated APR for stETH is 2.2%. Such scale makes the movement of large wallets very noticeable.

There is another detail. In the Lido DAO report for H1 2026, the protocol's share of all staking decreased from 23.93% to 21.18%. This shows that the staking market is growing, but the balance within it is changing.

For Ukrainian traders, the conclusion is simple. You need to watch not only the ETH price, but also staking volume and liquidity. If you need to lock in results quickly, you can sell Ethereum ETH on Monobank.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Ethereum staking growth important if ETH is getting cheaper?

Because it shows the behavior of large holders, not just the price itself. When the staking share rose to 36.32%, it means that some investors are not leaving the market.

Does 630 large transactions per day mean stakers are exiting ETH?

Not necessarily. Santiment links this to active use of stETH as collateral. In other words, the coins may remain staked but be used in other operations.

What is the most important level for ETH right now?

Santiment named $2100 as the key mark. If ETH stays above $2050, the backdrop is better. Below that level, liquidation risk increases.

So, Ethereum staking is currently sending a mixed signal: long-term interest is growing, while short-term new-money activity is weakening. That is why the market is watching both the price and the behavior of large wallets.

This material is not financial advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks. Part of this text was prepared with the help of artificial intelligence based on public sources and reviewed by our editorial team.