According to data from IntoTheBlock, 28.9% of all Ethereum (ETH) has now been locked up for staking. This shows the long-term confidence of investors in Ethereum.
The growth in the number of ETH staked since the beginning of this year is particularly telling. In January this percentage was still 23.8%. This means that in just ten months, 5.1% of available Ether has been added to staking.
Increase in strikers
It is striking that a significant portion of the stakers are long-term investors. As much as 15.3% of staked Ether has been locked up for more than three years. According to IntoTheBlock, this indicates “strong confidence” in the future of Ethereum. Investors appear willing to lock up their ETH for a longer period of time in exchange for possible future profits and network rewards.
Price pressure despite strike growth
Despite the increasing interest in staking, ETH’s price has been less positive lately. Although the year started strong, peaking at over $4,000 in March, the value has since fallen 40% to a current price of around $2,400. The price drop has been attributed to several factors, such as selling pressure from early investors and a lack of demand for spot ETFs for Ether.
Discussion on staking requirements
Discussion is growing within the Ethereum community about lowering solo staking requirements. Currently, stakers must lock in at least 32 ETH, which amounts to approximately $80,000. For many potential strikers, this poses a significant barrier.
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, recently expressed his support for lowering this threshold. Lowering the amount of ETH required would allow more users to stake individually, which could further improve the decentralization and security of the network.
Source: https://newsbit.nl/bijna-een-derde-van-alle-ethereum-eth-gestaked-sterk-vertrouwen-onder-beleggers/