Ethereum’s staking exit queue surged to about 851,000 ETH on Oct. 2, marking the longest estimated wait of 2026. The sharp increase followed MetaMask’s decision to begin withdrawing validators as a precaution after a security incident involving part of its infrastructure.
The queue contained roughly 166,000 ETH on Sept. 29, according to a CoinDesk analysis, before climbing more than fivefold within three days. By Oct. 2, the queued amount represented around 2% of Ethereum’s 43.6 million staked ETH and had surpassed the roughly 476,000 ETH recorded during the spike in May.
The backlog had declined to approximately 786,000 ETH, worth just over $2 billion, by Monday morning in Asia. At the current processing rate, the estimated exit period was close to 14 days.
Staking enables ETH holders to earn rewards by assigning ether to validators that verify transactions and help secure Ethereum. The network restricts the pace at which validators can enter and leave staking to prevent abrupt changes to its security structure.
Around 57,600 ETH can currently enter staking each day, while roughly the same amount can exit. Large movements can therefore accumulate in the queue. Once ETH leaves staking, it must also complete a separate withdrawal process before becoming available in the owner’s wallet.
MetaMask Drives the Withdrawal Surge
Most of the recent increase in exits appears to be connected to MetaMask. Alongside its wallet service, the company operates validators for Lido, a platform that pools customers’ ETH for staking.
Ethereum security researcher Kaden estimated that about 17,000 validators holding roughly 523,000 ETH were included in the precautionary exits. MetaMask has not confirmed those estimates.
MetaMask revealed the security incident on Sept. 30 and began taking affected validators offline. In an Oct. 1 update, the company said its investigation had found no evidence that customer wallets or funds were affected.
The development means a large portion of the current exit queue is expected to be temporary. Lido anticipates that the affected ETH will gradually return to staking after the validators complete their exits, their balances are withdrawn and the coins are redeployed.
Lido estimates the full process could take up to about 45 days, while affected validators will not receive staking rewards during the period they remain out of service.
“No action is required from stETH holders,” Lido said last week, referring to the token that represents users’ staked ETH on the platform.
Lido expects the final MetaMask validators affected by the incident to stop staking by Oct. 7. Their ETH will then move through the exit and withdrawal queues before it can potentially be staked again.
ETH Waiting to Enter Staking Declines
At the same time, demand for new Ethereum staking positions has weakened. Roughly 1.5 million ETH, worth about $4 billion, was waiting to enter staking on Monday, with an estimated wait of approximately 25 days.
That compares with around 2 million ETH and a projected 35-day wait in early September. The entry queue has therefore fallen by more than a quarter over the period, even as the exit queue has experienced a temporary surge.
