- Ethereum trades above $2,500 amid large-scale whale accumulation
- A bullish signal is the surge to 35 million ETH staked on the Ethereum network.
- Ethereum’s price may rally as several catalysts align.
Ethereum (ETH) has seen a notable increase in staking activity, driven in large part by aggressive accumulation from large holders.
As these whales increase buying pressure, Ethereum’s price has shown renewed resilience above the $2,500 level.
According to CoinMarketCap, ETH traded around $2,549, down roughly 2% over 24 hours and 7% over the past week. Despite these short-term moves, the leading altcoin remains above key support levels and is attracting sizable purchases from major holders.
On-chain analysts at Glassnode and CryptoQuant point to whale behavior and a sharp rise in ETH staking as potential catalysts for renewed upward momentum for the token.
Specifically, accumulation by the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has reached levels not seen since 2017, while strategic staking has pushed the total amount of ETH locked for staking to a new all-time high.
Whale accumulation surges to 800,000 ETH per day
Glassnode data highlights an extraordinary trend: Ethereum whales collected more than 800,000 ETH per day for nearly a week, culminating in a record net inflow of 871,000 ETH on June 12 — the single largest daily inflow so far this year.
These address clusters now control about 27% of the total ETH supply, a concentration historically associated with major market breakouts.
Glassnode’s data shows a sharp increase in net position changes among whales since early June, which correlates with the gradual rise in ETH’s price from recent lows. This accumulation mirrors the strategic buying seen in 2017, a period that preceded a significant bull run.
“For nearly a week, daily whale accumulation exceeded 800k ETH, driving holdings in 1k+ addresses to over 14.3 million ETH. On June 12 alone, whales added more than 871k ETH — the highest single-day net inflow year-to-date,” Glassnode noted. “This scale of buying has not been observed since 2017.”
Market analysts suggest institutional demand—fueled by ETF filings and new derivative liquidity tools—alongside positive social sentiment, is underpinning this activity.
Although technical indicators such as the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) signal potential short-term weakness, several technical factors remain favorable for buyers.
Surge in ETH staking
While Ethereum’s price has struggled to reclaim its all-time highs above $4,000, on-chain data indicates holders are increasingly opting to earn yield on their assets.
This shift has driven a sharp rise in staking activity across the Ethereum ecosystem—especially among long-term holders. On June 17, 2025, CryptoQuant shared details pointing to a new all-time high in ETH staking.
According to Onchain School, more than 35 million ETH are now locked in staking, representing an all-time high.
“Alongside this, Accumulator Addresses (holders with no history of selling) have also reached an all-time high, now holding 22.8 million ETH,” CryptoQuant analysts reported.
Staking allows token holders to lock up ETH and earn rewards for supporting the network. The reduction in circulating supply resulting from increased staking over the past week has helped Ether sustain its gains.