Ethereum Staking Hits Record 43.8M ETH as Q3 Annualized Yield Falls to 2.63%

Oct. 31 — According to CoinDesk, institutions are still increasing crypto staking despite declining yields. Bitwise data shows Ethereum staking has reached 43.8 million ETH, or 35.9% of total supply, a record high, while Solana's active stake climbed to 440.5 million SOL. Yet total staking yields fell on both networks: Ethereum's average annualized staking yield dropped to 2.63% in the third quarter, and Solana's to about 6%.

Bitwise said Ethereum recorded net staking inflows of 1.99 million ETH in the third quarter, its sixth consecutive quarter of net inflows. A larger staking base is pushing down returns. Coinbase said staking ETFs and digital asset treasuries are widening access to participation. An executive at Kraken parent Payward said staking is typically countercyclical: holding behavior increases when the market is weak, which lifts staking demand and compresses yields. Kean Gilbert, head of institutional relations at the Lido Ecosystem Foundation, expects that in five years people will ask why they ever held unstaked ETH.