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BlackRock introduced its first Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF) designed to generate staking income – expanding the asset manager’s push into blockchain-based investment products. The iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF, trading under the ticker ETHB, began trading on Nasdaq on March 12, producing roughly $15.5 million in turnover on its first day.
The product allows investors to gain Ether exposure through a traditional brokerage account while the fund participates in Ethereum’s proof-of-stake network to earn validation rewards.
📣We are officially staked📣
ETHB combines ether exposure and monthly income potential through the convenience of an exchange-traded product, offering investors a familiar way to get exposure to crypto and potentially benefit from staking rewards.
Learn more about ETHB ⏩… pic.twitter.com/41iKKaDqoD
— iShares (@iShares) March 12, 2026
Nasdaq trading records show that about 592,800 shares of ETHB were exchanged during its launch session, resulting in approximately $15.5 million in trading volume. Bloomberg ETF analyst, James Seyffart, noted on X that the opening session indicated healthy early trading activity for a newly launched digital asset ETF.
Vast majority of the trading is done and we are at $15.5 million in trading volume for the BlackRock staked Ethereum ETF — $ETHB. Very very solid for a day 1 ETF launch https://t.co/5f9VeA9ivq pic.twitter.com/MpwRqeHnwU
— James Seyffart (@JSeyff) March 12, 2026
While ETHB’s session was solid, it was notably eclipsed by earlier Solana-based staking products. The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL), for example, pulled in roughly $55 million when it debuted in October 2025 – highlighting a highly competitive market for institutional yield.
Another fund, the REX-Osprey SOL + Staking ETF (SSK), produced about $33.7 million when it debuted in July 2025.
Big first day for the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF $BSOL:
$55.4 million in trading volume
$217.2 million in AUMNow the largest spot Solana ETF, targeting 100% staked & seeking to maximize Solana’s 7%+ average staking rewards.*
The Solana story continues.
— Bitwise (@Bitwise) October 28, 2025
ETHB began trading as a product designed to combine Ether exposure with staking-based income. The structure allows the ETF to hold Ether while allocating a portion of its holdings to Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS) network in order to generate validation rewards.
Unlike earlier spot Ethereum ETFs that simply track the asset’s price, ETHB directs a large portion of its holdings toward staking. The fund locks Ether on the Ethereum blockchain and participates in validating transactions, which allows the trust to collect rewards generated by the network.
Those rewards are expected to be allocated to investors on a monthly basis, though the fund’s prospectus states distributions will occur at least quarterly. Ethereum staking yields have generally remained near the mid-single-digit range depending on network conditions.
Coinbase acts as the primary custodian and staking execution agent, routing the locked Ether through a select group of approved institutional validators: Figment, Galaxy Digital, and notably, Attestant – a staking firm recently acquired by BlackRock’s direct ETF competitor, Bitwise.
BlackRock set the sponsor fee at 0.25%, while a temporary waiver lowers the cost to 0.12% on the first $2.5 billion in assets during the fund’s first year.
NEW: BlackRock is launching their Ethereum Staking ETF today — $ETHB. It will have the same fee as $ETHA at 0.25% bps but has a fee waiver down to 0.12% for the first year or first $2.5 billion in assets. pic.twitter.com/aR3FVRChPz
— James Seyffart (@JSeyff) March 12, 2026
ETHB joins BlackRock’s existing digital asset ETF lineup. The company already manages the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which oversees more than $55 billion in assets, and the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), which manages roughly $6.5 billion.
The new product reflects how asset managers are increasingly packaging blockchain-based mechanisms in formats familiar to traditional investors. Staking converts Ethereum ownership into a yield-producing position, and embedding that mechanism inside an ETF allows investors to access the reward structure without directly operating validators or managing digital wallets.
The launch also comes as asset managers explore income-focused crypto funds designed to generate yield alongside price exposure, as institutional investors search for blockchain exposure that generates returns beyond simple price appreciation.
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