BlackRock introduces new Ethereum ETF with staking option
March 13, 2026
BlackRock has recently launched an Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF) with a staking feature that has garnered significant interest from investors. The debut trading volume for this ETF exceeded $15 million on its first day of trading, which is considered a solid start in the financial world.
Investors showed enthusiasm for BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) ETF by purchasing 621,705 shares, resulting in assets under management reaching $100 million at launch. This figure signifies a strong start for the ETF, although it falls slightly behind other ETFs based on different cryptocurrencies like Solana.
The unique feature of the ETHB ETF lies in its income-generating capability through staking Ethereum. Unlike other BlackRock ETFs that simply mirror the price of Ethereum, ETHB locks between 70-95% of reserves for staking depending on market conditions. Investors can expect approximately 82% of the earned rewards to be distributed to them monthly, similar to how dividend ETFs operate. The remaining 18% is divided among the trust, custodians, and service providers.
With a sponsor fee of 0.25%, BlackRock is offering an attractive reduced fee of 0.12% for the first $2.5 billion in assets to incentivize early capital investment in the ETF. Additionally, BlackRock is gearing up to launch a Bitcoin Premium Income ETF that will leverage covered call options on bitcoin futures to generate premiums for investors.
The interest in Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs remains high, with spot exchange-traded funds based on Bitcoin attracting $53.8 million by the end of trading on March 12. The total managed assets for these products now stand at $90.4 billion. Notable inflows were seen in the IBIT fund by BlackRock, while outflows were recorded for GBTC from Grayscale and BITB from Bitwise.
Ethereum ETFs have also garnered significant attention, with inflows amounting to $72.3 million and total funds received since launch totaling $11.8 billion. FETH by Fidelity took the lead in attracting funds in this segment, followed by ETHA by BlackRock.
In a notable development, investment bank Morgan Stanley has filed an application to launch a spot Bitcoin ETF, signaling a growing interest from mainstream financial institutions in cryptocurrency investment products. As the market continues to evolve, more traditional financial institutions are expected to enter the fray with innovative ETF offerings based on digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
