Main navigation

13% of Whole Ethereum (ETH) Supply Staked, But There's Serious Problem with Decentralization

Wed, 01/04/2023 - 09:54
article image
Arman Shirinyan
Large part of Ethereum's supply is staked, but it will not help cryptocurrency at current utilization rate
13% of Whole Ethereum (ETH) Supply Staked, But There's Serious Problem with Decentralization
Cover image via stock.adobe.com

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed here is not investment advice – it is provided for informational purposes only. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of U.Today. Every investment and all trading involves risk, so you should always perform your own research prior to making decisions. We do not recommend investing money you cannot afford to lose.

Read U.TODAY on
Google News

More than 10% of the whole supply of the second biggest cryptocurrency on the market has been staked and locked in smart contracts. While the on-chain data is impressive, we should highlight an important detail: 80% of the staked supply is controlled by only one entity, and it is a serious problem.

The total Ethereum deposited currently sits at 16 million, with more than 91,000 unique depositors and almost half a million unique validators. The impressive data behind Ethereum staking does not feel as reassuring after looking at the distribution of assets on the network: 4.6 million ETH is staked on Lido Finance, which makes it the biggest and most dominant entity on the network.

Such a large possession of Ethereum in the hands of one organization might bring serious problems to both retail and institutional investors. Unfortunately, the problem is not only tied to the fact that Lido controls 80% of the staked supply. The issue is in Lido's liquidity and investment model.

In exchange for "real" staked and illiquid Ethereum, users receive liquid stETH tokens that should be tied to the real cryptocurrency at a 1:1 ratio. However, the token is inherently worthless, considering it is just a reflection of some staked value, and in cases of volatility spikes, the existing liquidity of the asset often becomes a serious problem. It causes decoupling and serious losses among investors.

Related
Solana (SOL) Rebounds After Catastrophic Drop

Numerous on-chain analysts and experts expressed their concerns over the situation emerging around Ethereum. In addition to the high centralization of funds in the hands of only one entity, Ethereum is going through an extremely low utilization period that led to elevated issuance on the network.

article image
About the author

Arman Shirinyan is a trader, crypto enthusiast and SMM expert with more than four years of experience.

Arman strongly believes that cryptocurrencies and the blockchain will be of constant use in the future. Currently, he focuses on news, articles with deep analysis of crypto projects and technical analysis of cryptocurrency trading pairs.