BlackRock’s Staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB) Launches with $15.5M Day-1 Volume
BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB) recorded over $15.5 million in trading volume on its first day of trading, Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart reported on March 13, 2026.
Seyffart described the launch as “very solid for a day 1 ETF,” noting that ETHB launched with more than $100 million in assets under management (AUM).
ETHB is BlackRock’s first U.S. crypto ETF to incorporate staking, marking a significant evolution from its existing spot bitcoin and ether products.
Key Features of ETHB
- Staking allocation: 70–95% of ETH holdings are staked under normal conditions; 5–30% remains unstaked for creations, redemptions, and liquidity
- Reward distribution: ~82% of staking rewards distributed monthly to shareholders; ~18% retained by the sponsor and execution agent
- Sponsor fee: 0.25% annually, temporarily reduced to 0.12% on the first $2.5 billion in AUM for the first year post-launch
- Ether accumulation: BlackRock began acquiring ETH in February 2026 in preparation for the launch, per amended S-1 filings
Broader ETF Flow Context (March 12, 2026)
- Spot Bitcoin ETFs: $53.8 million net inflows (fourth consecutive day of positive flows)
- Spot Ether ETFs: $72.4 million net inflows
- Spot Solana ETFs: $4 million net inflows
- Spot XRP ETFs: $6 million net outflows (continuing a trend of outflows or weak inflows since mid-February)
Market & Investor Takeaways
- Positive signal for staking ETFs — Strong day-1 volume and $100M+ launch AUM indicate institutional interest in yield-generating crypto products
- Competitive staking landscape — ETHB’s launch could accelerate adoption of staking in regulated wrappers, pressuring non-staking ether products
- Continued ether ETF strength — $72.4M inflows on the same day highlight sustained demand for ether exposure
- XRP weakness persists — Ongoing outflows suggest lingering sentiment challenges for XRP-spot products
BlackRock’s entry into staked ether ETFs reinforces its leadership in crypto ETPs and signals growing institutional acceptance of on-chain yield in regulated vehicles.
Stay tuned — The Block will track ETHB’s AUM growth, staking performance, and any updates to fee waivers or allocation changes.
