Justin Sun stakes $154M in Ethereum —Now holds more ETH than TRX
Justin Sun made a bold contrarian bet during this week's market chaos, staking $154.5 million in Ethereum while prices crashed.
Key Takeaways
How much Ethereum did Justin Sun stake?
Justin Sun withdrew 45,000 ETH from Aave lending protocol and immediately deposited it to Lido liquid staking on 5 November.
Does Justin Sun hold more ETH than TRX now?
Yes. Sun’s public wallets show $534 million in Ethereum holdings [primarily staked as STETH] compared to $519 million in TRX.
Tron founder Justin Sun executed a massive contrarian trade on 5 November, withdrawing $154.5 million in Ethereum from Aave and immediately staking it through Lido, following the market crash.
The move pushed his total Ethereum holdings to $534 million, surpassing even his TRX holdings.
Suns bets big on Ethereum
Portfolio data from Arkham reveals that Sun now holds $534 million in Ethereum, versus $519 million in TRX, Tron’s native token.
The founder of one of crypto’s largest blockchains holds $16 million more in a competing platform than his own creation.
The shift signals conviction in Ethereum’s long-term prospects. Staking locks ETH for yield generation, typically earning 3-4% annually.
Unlike simple holding, staking represents a committed, bullish position that requires lock-up periods.
Buying the dip at scale
Sun’s timing stands out. He moved $154.5 million into Ethereum staking as ETH crashed 12% to $3,166 and crypto markets lost $230 billion in 48 hours.
While retail traders panicked, Sun accumulated. As of this writing, ETH has recovered and now trades around $3,400.
The whale chose Lido over direct Ethereum staking, receiving liquid STETH tokens that can trade or serve as DeFi collateral while earning staking rewards. This flexibility lets him maintain capital efficiency despite the lock-up.
The billion-dollar portfolio
Arkham Intelligence data shows Sun’s complete holdings exceed $1.76 billion across multiple assets.
Beyond his dominant Ethereum and TRX positions, he holds $439 million in Bitcoin, $98.6 million in Aave-wrapped ETH, and notably $67 million in WLFI—Trump’s World Liberty Financial token.
Staking at the bottom
Glassnode data reveals why Sun’s timing is remarkable. New Ethereum staking activity collapsed from 250,000-325,000 daily deposits in August to around 9,000 by early November.
Sun’s 45,000 ETH stake occurred precisely when staking participation hit multi-month lows.
This pattern mirrors classic bottom formation. In August, whales staked aggressively as ETH climbed toward $5,000.
By November, staking dried up as the price fell to $3,166; yet, this is historically when contrarian positions pay off.
The declining participation also improves supply dynamics. Less new staking means reduced future sell pressure from validators.
