BlackRock has officially applied for Ethereum staking Ethereum$3,145.91 This is an important step in bringing staking to the masses.
The world’s largest asset manager filed an S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday. Although this filing begins the review process, the fund’s listing exchange will still need to file another 19b-4 form in order to establish a formal deadline for SEC approval or rejection.
The proposed fund, called iShares Ethereum Staking Trust (ETHB), was first hinted at in November when BlackRock registered the name in Delaware. Although this move signaled intent, it was not considered a formal filing with the SEC.
This is not BlackRock’s first Ethereum ETF. The company, along with other issuers, launched iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) in July 2024. But at the time, the SEC, led by Chairman Gary Gensler, reportedly told companies to remove the staking element from their tax returns. The agency has previously argued that staking services offered by platforms such as Kraken and Coinbase may constitute an offering of unregistered securities.
Under new chairman Paul Atkins, that position appears to be softening. BlackRock and VanEck are among several issuers currently resubmitting or amending their ETF applications to include staking. While other companies modified existing products, BlackRock chose to launch an entirely new fund.
ETHA, which holds approximately $11 billion of ETH, will remain independent from the staking version. Once staked funds are approved, investors will be able to take advantage of Ethereum’s yield-generating mechanism without having to stake their assets themselves.
