Grayscale Becomes 1st U.S. ETH ETP To Distribute Staking Rewards

• Grayscale’s ETHE has become the 1st U.S. Ethereum ETF to issue staking rewards.
• The company has three crypto staking ETFs, including one for Solana.
• CEO Peter Mintzberg described the payout as a landmark moment for the Ethereum ecosystem.

Grayscale Ethereum Staking ETF (ETHE) has become the first U.S. Ethereum Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) to distribute staking rewards back to investors. The digital asset-focused investment firm has scaled its staking operations across Ethereum and Solana to remain competitive in the global spot ETF industry.

Grayscale Starts Distribution of ETH ETF Staking Rewards

Grayscale announced that shareholders of ETHE will receive staking rewards for the period October 6, 2025, to December 31, 2025. The company noted that shareholders of ETHE will get about $0.083 per share from the staking rewards.

The company also updated its official names for Grayscale Ethereum Staking Mini ETF ($ETH) and Grayscale Solana Staking ETF ($GSOL). 

“Distributing staking rewards to ETHE shareholders is a landmark moment, not just for Grayscale, but for the entire Ethereum community and ETPs at large,” Peter Mintzberg, CEO of Grayscale, noted. 

A Crypto ETF Staking Era

The payout of the staking rewards for Grayscale’s ETHE will significantly influence other spot ETH ETF issuers in the United States and globally. According to market data from SoSoValue, the U.S. spot ETH ETFs have recorded a cumulative total net inflow of $12.67 billion and a total net assets of about $20 billion.

At press time, Grayscale’s ETHE and ETH have total net assets of $3 billion and $2.24 billion, respectively. More than $14 billion has not been staked, despite the notable legal clarity for Ethereum.

With the expected CLARITY Act in 2026, more U.S. spot ETH ETFs will offer staking rewards to remain competitive.

What’s the Expected Market Impact on Ethereum 

With the successful payout of Grayscale’s ETHE staking rewards, more spot ETF issuers may follow in the same footsteps. As such, ETH adoption by institutional investors could accelerate and bolster this altcoin’s bullish momentum. At press time, 35.7 million ETH coins have been staked, representing around 29.5% of the total supply.

With the expected increase in more spot ETFs staking provisions in 2026, the amount of Ethereum staked will increase. Consequently, the circulating supply of ETH will decline amid rising demand, thereby fueling bullish momentum.

Already, the ETH price has rebounded over 9% in the past seven days to trade above $3,219 at press time. Wall Street experts have forecasted that this large-cap altcoin, with a fully diluted valuation of $388 billion, will hit a new all-time high in 2026, catalyzed by strong fundamentals from institutions.

Related: Ethereum Price Prediction: ETH Maintains Bullish Structure While Network Vision Expands