The Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced on February 24 that it has begun staking approximately 70,000 ethers (ETH) from the Treasury, equivalent to US$126 million. According to the statement, the fees earned will be reinvested into the company’s own treasury.
The foundation explained that it operates its own validators using open source programs such as Dirk and Vouch. This means that Keys to sign blocks will be distributed Distributed across different locations around the world, preventing centralization of control on a single server. Additionally, we combine our own infrastructure with external services to reduce the risk of technical failures and interruptions.
Similarly, the Foundation has indicated that it uses withdrawal credentials of type 0x02. This is a format intended to provide more flexibility in managing funds locked in staking.
Unlike the previous format, these credentials are “Management keys” that allow validator balances to be reorganized or transferredFor example, you can integrate validators or change the address that controls withdrawals without completely turning off or deactivating them. This facilitates operational management without interfering with consensus participation.
This announcement also means that the Foundation Build blocks directlyThat is, the validator itself selects and orders the transactions to include in each block, without delegating the task to a third party.
This means that we do not use a proponent-builder separation scheme (PBS), a model in which one actor only constructs a block and another actor proposes the block to the network, which is a common practice in revenue maximization strategies. In this case, the Foundation will carry out the entire verification process.
Criticism of Ethereum Foundation’s previous sales and reservations
The EF statement is in line with a strategy that began last year after some in the Ethereum community expressed displeasure. For repeated sales of ETH conducted by the Foundation. Some users said such sales could put downward pressure on asset prices.
Following criticism, as reported by CriptoNoticias in January 2025; This organization has chosen to engage in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols As an alternative to managing reserves without relying solely on direct market sales.
The organization currently maintains a total of 172,000 ETH of its holdings, according to data from on-chain analytics firm Arcam. Equivalent to approximately $314 million As of this writing.
The decision to participate in network staking further deepens this new strategic path. Rather than selling ETH to fund its operations, EF seeks to earn income by participating in Ethereum’s consensus mechanism (proof of stake, PoS).
Finally, as reported by CriptoNoticias, Vitalik Buterin himself announced strategic changes for the Ethereum Foundation, with the organization entering a period of “mild austerity.”
