Ethereum has a 25-day wait to start staking, with nearly 1.5 million ETH in line
Ethereum is experiencing a significant backlog in its staking queue, with nearly 1.5 million ETH waiting to enter and a 25-day wait time. The congestion is partially attributed to a security incident at MetaMask, which forced the exit of numerous validators.
Why it matters
The staking queue dynamics directly impact Ethereum's network security and liquidity, serving as a key indicator of investor sentiment and operational stability in the crypto ecosystem.
About 166,000 ETH was waiting to exit on Sept. 29, per a CoinDesk analysis of the data . By Oct. 2 that had climbed to roughly 851,000 ETH, about 2% of the 43.6 million ETH staked and well above the roughly 476,000 ETH reached during a surge in May.
About 786,000 ETH, worth just over $2 billion, was still waiting as of Monday Asian morning, with an estimated wait of nearly 14 days.
Staking lets holders earn rewards by committing ether to validators, the computers that check Ethereum transactions. The network limits how quickly validators can join or leave to prevent sudden changes to its security.
At current limits, about 57,600 ETH can enter and about 57,600 ETH can exit each day, so large moves build up as queues. Coins that leave then go through a separate withdrawal process before they reach their owners' wallets.
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