BlackRock Staked Ethereum Fund Tops $250M in Its First Week

BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust reached $254 million in assets one week after launching on Nasdaq March 12. Investors added $146 million beyond seed capital, giving the fund a brisk start among newly listed staked ether products.

The trust stakes 70% to 95% of its ether and sends 82% of rewards to shareholders in monthly payments. Figment, Galaxy Blockchain Infrastructure, and Attestant serve as validators, while BlackRock charges a 0.25% fee with an introductory discount.

ETHB arrived in a market already occupied by Grayscale and REX-Osprey, but BlackRock launched with staking from day one. That distinction matters because rival funds added the feature later, after renamings or changes, and showed weaker early flows.

The strong debut came as ether briefly climbed above $2,300 this week before retreating with a broader risk-off slide. By the time of publication, ETH changed hands near $2,126, leaving BlackRock’s launch to shine against a shakier backdrop.

Old Bitcoin Whale Resumes Heavy Binance Sales

A long-dormant Bitcoin whale moved $72 million worth of BTC to Binance to realize massive profits from 2013. This investor originally purchased 5,000 coins at a low price of $332 before the surge. Analysts tracked the move as large holders deposit assets amid volatile global crypto markets.

The specific wallet has now offloaded 3,500 total coins since November 2024 for an estimated profit of $330 million overall. Despite these sales, the whale still retains approximately 1,500 BTC valued at $100 million in storage. Data suggests that top deposits drive exchange inflows as early adopters reduce exposure.

Dormant Whale Rebuilds Ethereum Position After Exit

An unidentified whale investor spent $111 million in USDT to acquire 50,706 ETH following a long period of inactivity. This trade occurred through two addresses after the user previously sold their entire holdings at higher prices. The move signals a strategic re-entry as participants capitalize on lower valuations.

Lookonchain noted the buyer originally exited the market when Ethereum was trading near $3,892 per unit in 2025. This latest accumulation happened at an average price of $2,201 during a sharp price decline. Similar patterns of accumulation are emerging as regulatory clarity improves for large US investors.

MLB Partners With Polymarket For Betting Integrity

Major League Baseball named Polymarket as its exclusive prediction market partner to improve fan engagement through regulated onchain betting. The league signed a formal agreement with the CFTC to collaborate on game integrity following recent scandals. This alliance allows the platform access to league data while restricting prop betting.

Both organizations aim to prevent fraud by monitoring suspicious wagering activity on individual player performances or specific managerial decisions. The announcement comes before Opening Day as prediction markets continue to face legal challenges. Experts believe this deal legitimizes Polymarket and blockchain forecasting tools while providing the league with tools for transparency.

Data of the Day

Security firm Immunefi released a report showing that crypto exploits are focused on massive centralized exchange breaches. The study analyzed 425 incidents over four years and found that average losses per hack reached $25 million. Researchers discovered that five events accounted for the majority of stolen funds during 2025.

Impacted projects face catastrophic token price drops exceeding 60% within months as user trust evaporates and development cycles stall. Centralized platforms remain the primary targets because they house large pools of capital behind single failure points. Findings suggest the market is becoming less forgiving of flaws as systems amplify liquidations.

More Breaking News

• Bitcoin displays relative strength against gold amid Middle East tensions while analysts advise holding cash during volatile price swings on headlines.
• The SEC approved Nasdaq’s pilot program to trade tokenized Russell 1000 stocks and ETFs using existing market infrastructure for settlement and clearing.
• Bankrupt exchange FTX will distribute another $2.2 billion to creditors starting March 31, bringing total repayments to former users above $8 billion.
• The World Gold Council proposed a new framework to standardize tokenized gold, aiming to simplify reserve management for issuers through shared infrastructure.
• Browser firm Opera proposed swapping its cash payments for 160 million CELO tokens to align its financial incentives with the network’s long-term performance.
• XRP treasury firm Evernorth filed for a $1 billion SPAC merger to list on Nasdaq, expecting to hold 473 million XRP at launch.
• Scammers are targeting OpenClaw developers with fake GitHub airdrop notifications and obfuscated malware designed to drain connected crypto wallets through cloned websites.
• Forward Industries secured a $40 million loan from Galaxy Digital to repurchase stock and increase its corporate treasury exposure to Solana tokens.

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