Ethereum staking hits record high, ETF inflows turn bullish – Impact on market?

• ETH ETFs brought over $64 million in inflows, suggesting smart money was positioning itself.
• The number of depositor addresses for staking has hit a new high after recent discussions by BlackRock.

Ethereum [ETH] ETFs produced a combined $64.8o million in net flows on the 20th of May 2025. This pointed to an extra religion from essential institutions and influential individuals known as ‘smart money’ who seemed to be positioning themselves.

BlackRock’s ETHA fund led with a $45.0 million raise, while Fidelity’s FETH secured $19.8 million.

Meanwhile, there were no net flow changes for Bitwise (ETHW), 21Shares (CETH), VanEck (ETHV), Invesco (QETH), Franklin (EZET), or Grayscale’s funds (ETHE and ETH).

These inflows follow a period of mixed or lower flows, following the—$39.8 million outflow on the 15th of May, primarily from Grayscale and Fidelity.

On the 20th of May, major institutions like BlackRock and Fidelity made significant purchases, contributing $152.9 million in inflows and $15.2 million in outflows since the 8th of May.

Their actions suggest an attempt to position themselves ahead of potential price increases or key market triggers. If this trend continues, it could further solidify the bullish structure for ETH’s price soon.

The sudden surge in new capital indicates a notable shift in how high-conviction investors allocate their resources.

Staking addresses hit ATH

Moreover, there were now more than 225,000 depositor addresses taking part in Ethereum’s staking contract—a record high. The change climbed by 0.30% over the past week, 1.77% in the past month, and 5.76% in the previous three months.

It appeared more consumers were joining the Ethereum staking feature, with steady rates starting from mid-2023. Although the market was volatile, the strong growth of staked ETH demonstrated that more people were joining the network.

With the total staked ETH standing at 34,559,715, this growth highlighted rising network participation despite market volatility.

As the conversation about ETH ETF staking accelerated, the rise in unique staking addresses indicated that more validators were now participating.

Though it did not connect to institutions, it showed that ETH was still in high demand as an asset providing high yields.

Although these numbers could rise significantly more, regulatory approval was necessary for it to happen. ETH’s resilience could be key to its future price stability.

BlackRock’s position on ETH products

BlackRock has continued to push for approval of ETH ETF staking, options, and tokenization, signaling growing investor interest in Ethereum’s products as the market recovers.

The company’s discussions with the SEC Crypto Task Force could accelerate the creation of clearer cryptocurrency regulations. If ETH ETF staking is approved, large investors may shift toward Ethereum, boosting its adoption.

In the long term, these developments could drive higher ETF inflows, especially as Ethereum leads efforts in tokenization and stablecoin infrastructure.

However, the outcome ultimately depends on regulatory decisions and market response.