BlackRock Launches First Staked Ethereum ETF to Let Investors Earn Rewards
BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB) began trading on Nasdaq Thursday, offering investors exposure to Ethereum (ETH) while earning staking rewards. Unlike previous spot ETH ETFs, ETHB stakes a portion of its holdings on the Ethereum network, allowing investors to benefit from price movements and potential staking income.
This marks BlackRock’s third crypto ETF and its first with staking. It joins the firm’s existing digital asset lineup, including the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), which manage roughly $55 billion and $6.5 billion in assets, respectively.
“This is about giving investors choice,” said Jay Jacobs, BlackRock’s U.S. head of equity ETFs. “Some investors want to combine ETH price exposure with staking rewards to maximize total returns.”
Ethereum’s proof-of-stake system allows holders to lock up ETH to validate transactions, earning rewards in the process. Most previous ETFs offered only price exposure, leaving some investors hesitant to move assets into an ETF. ETHB bridges that gap, providing staking benefits alongside the convenience of an ETF, including institutional-grade custody, brokerage access, and portfolio integration.
The fund carries a 0.25% sponsor fee, temporarily reduced to 0.12% on the first $2.5 billion in assets during its first year to encourage adoption. BlackRock expects demand from individual investors, financial advisors, hedge funds, and family offices.
BlackRock now oversees roughly $130 billion in crypto investment products, capturing about 95% of flows into digital asset ETPs in 2025. Jacobs emphasized that ETF adoption for digital assets is still in its early stages, with many investors taking this as a first step into crypto.
