BlackRock’s Staked Ethereum ETF Records $15.5M Trading Volume on Debut

BlackRock’s new iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB) debuted on the Nasdaq on March 12, 2026. It generated $15.5 million on the first day of trading, offering Ethereum price exposure and 4% annual staking yields. 

Key Highlights 

• BlackRock’s ETHB is a new Ethereum ETF that earns staking rewards, similar to earning interest on a savings account. 
• The fund traded 15.5 million on the first day and launched with $106.7 million in assets held by Coinbase. 
• ETHB charges just 0.12% in fees for the first year (around 0.25%), which makes it one of the cheapest Ethereum staking options available. 

What is BlackRock’s Staked Ethereum ETF? 

Before getting into BlackRock’s ETHB, let’s look at what staking is. When a user stakes Ethereum, they lock up their coins to run the network. In return, the network rewards users, which is around 4% per year. 

BlackRock already has another Ethereum ETF before ETHB, which is called ETHA. But ETHA just holds Ethereum without staking it. 

On the other hand, ETHB stakes about 80% of its Ethereum holdings and passes the rewards to investors. This becomes BlackRock’s third crypto ETF, after the Bitcoin Fund (IBIT) and the original Ethereum fund (ETHA). 

ETHB Performance on its First Day 

On the day of its launch, ETHB traded 592,804 shares worth $15.5 million. As per Bloomberg’s ETF analyst James Seyffart, this is a very solid number for a day-one ETF launch. 

The staking started with $106.7 million in assets. Coinbase serves as custodian, and the three validators, Figment, Galaxy Digital, and Attestant, handle staking. 

In comparison, the Bitwise Solana ETF (BSOL) attracted $55.4 million in debut volume in October 2025. Despite ETHB being slow at the beginning, analysts believe that BlackRock’s reputation could drive much more inflows over time. 

Seyffart noted changes in BlackRock’s ETHB filing. The company reduced its staking fee from 18% to 10% of rewards. 

What does BlackRock’s Move Indicate? 

BlackRock’s move indicates growing institutional demand for yield-generating crypto products. Currently, Ethereum’s volatility has reduced, attracting more risk-managed investors. The firm also aims to reduce the gap between traditional fixed-income strategies and digital assets by offering a regulated and more accessible way to earn income from staking. 

What does it mean for Ethereum Token Owners?

Ethereum (ETH) is currently trading at $2,125.85, marking a 2.51% increase over the past 24 hours. Even after the daily gains, the broader crypto market is cautious. The Fear & Greed Index is at 15, indicating extreme fear. 

ETH token holders can use ETHB for convenience. On ETHB, they can earn staking rewards through a regular brokerage account like Fidelity or Schwab, without the need for a crypto wallet. 

Head of BlackRock’s U.S. equity ETFs, Jay Jacobs, said that some investors who hold Ethereum directly were not ready to move into an exchange-traded product because they would lose their staking rewards. The ETHB could resolve this issue. 

Moreover, the fees are user-friendly. ETHB normally charges 0.25% per year, but BlackRock is reducing the fee by half for the first year for $2.5 billion in assets. It brings the cost down to just 0.12%. The strategy is to maintain the firm’s dominance in the crypto ETF market, with its existing Ethereum and Bitcoin ETFs attracting over $60 billion in combined assets.