Last updated on May 12th, 2026 at 08:17 pm
2026 is witnessing a transformative shift in the exchange-traded fund (ETF) landscape as BlackRock officially launched the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) on Nasdaq this Thursday, March 12.
The new product allows investors to gain direct exposure to Ethereum ($ETH) while simultaneously earning staking rewards, a significant evolution from the firm’s existing price-only spot ETF (ETHA).
📣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
What is the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB)?
Unlike traditional spot ETFs that merely track the price of an asset, ETHB is designed to act as a total-return product by participating in the Ethereum network’s consensus mechanism. BlackRock intends to stake between 70% and 95% of the $ETH held by the trust to generate an estimated annual yield of approximately 3%. To maintain operational flexibility and honour daily redemptions, the fund will keep a “liquidity sleeve” of 5% to 30% in unstaked ether.
How does ETHB differ from other Ethereum ETFs?
The primary differentiator for ETHB is its ability to transform Ethereum from a passive holding into a productive, income-generating asset within a regulated brokerage account. While BlackRock’s first Ethereum product, ETHA, remains the largest spot ETH ETF with over $9 billion in assets, it does not offer yield. ETHB enters a maturing market where competitors like Grayscale and 21Shares have already begun distributing staking rewards to their shareholders in early 2026.
This launch marks a significant regulatory milestone. For much of 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) maintained that staking could classify an ETF as an “active” investment company, a hurdle that initially prevented yield-bearing products.
According to DeFi Planet’s previous reports, BlackRock launched the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB) to meet institutional demand for income-generating digital assets. This new yield-bearing ETF complements their first spot product, ETHA, which is the largest spot ETH ETF with over $9 billion in assets. Institutional interest in Ethereum remains robust, viewing it as the premier blockchain for asset tokenisation.
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