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The percentage of Ethereum (ETH) supply staked on the network has dropped to 27.6%, a level last seen in July 2024. This decline has raised questions about Ethereum’s long-term appeal among investors and whether staking remains a preferred option.
Staked Ethereum Percentage Drops From November Peak
According to data from Dune Analytics, the proportion of ETH staked on the network has declined to 27.6%, a pullback from its peak of 29% recorded in November 2024. At press time, a total of 33.5 million ETH is staked on the Ethereum network.
Ethereum staking was introduced alongside the launch of the Beacon Chain in December 2020, enabling investors to earn rewards while securing the network. Over time, ETH staking has gained traction, with major cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance, Kraken, and others offering staking services to their users.
Additionally, staking led to the rise of a new market vertical known as liquid staking derivatives (LSDs). Currently, the LSD market is dominated by Lido (LDO), which commands nearly 69% of the total market share. Binance Staking follows, holding approximately 15% of the LSD sector.
However, since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 2024 US presidential election, the regulatory landscape has shifted, creating an environment that may encourage the entry of new staking protocols, intensifying competition in the LSD space.
That said, there are concerns about the high concentration of the LSD market commanded by Lido, which is likely to rise even more if the ETH staking percentage continues to dwindle. A single LSD protocol having so much influence on the staking ecosystem could run against Ethereum’s decentralization ethos.
Is ETH Losing Its Charm?
Despite being the second-largest digital asset with a market capitalization exceeding $327 billion, Ethereum appears to be losing favor among large investors who may be seeking better returns in alternative blockchain ecosystems.
For instance, data from DeFiLlama shows that the total value locked (TVL) in Solana’s (SOL) decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem surged from approximately $4.5 billion in September 2024 to as high as $11.3 billion in January 2025. This rapid growth was largely fuelled by the memecoin frenzy that took over the Solana ecosystem throughout 2024.
Meanwhile, Google Trends data indicates a notable decline in Ethereum-related search interest, dropping from 87 in November 2024 to 41 at the time of writing. This trend suggests that ETH may be losing traction, particularly when compared to competitors such as SOL, SUI, and XRP, which have experienced more dynamic price movements over the past year.
Recent on-chain data also suggests that ETH may be falling out of favour among crypto ‘whales.’ At press time, ETH trades at $2,712, up 2.8% in the past 24 hours.
Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Charts from Google Trends and TradingView.com
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