A single whale moving $15 million in eth to a long-term staking position (lido/steth) is a significant capital allocation. while not enough to single-handedly move the entire market, it signals strong conviction from a large holder, potentially influencing sentiment and encouraging other investors, especially given the timing near a local support level.
The information is based on on-chain analytics from arkham records, which tracks verifiable public blockchain transactions.
The whale 'going all in' on staking eth, especially after a three-month silence and at a local support zone ($2,939), suggests a strong belief in ethereum's long-term price appreciation and the health of its staking economy. staking removes eth from immediate circulating supply, reducing sell pressure and indicating a long-term hold strategy.
Staking eth converts it to steth, indicating a long-term commitment to holding and earning yield rather than short-term trading. the whale's decision to stake the full amount points to a multi-month or multi-year outlook.
Cover image via U.Today Read U.TODAY on Google News An anonymous Ethereum whale has made a comeback, and this one was big. Top U.S. exchange Kraken got hit by pulling in 5,099 ETH equal to around $15.17 million. The whale staked the full amount into Lido right away and converted it to stETH in minutes. Advertisement According to the Arkham records, the whale's address, "0x761F2F," has not been active for over three months. Its last major activity was a series of multi-million-dollar USDC transfers to and from Symbiosis and Hyperliquid, along with other stablecoin operations via MetaRouter and CoW Protocol. But this latest move is on a different scale and market situation. HOT Stories 'Thinking About Buying More Bitcoin': Michael Saylor Reacts to Bitcoin Price Collapse With Bull Statement Morning Crypto Report: Ripple Legend Co-Signs Binance Twist, 'Digital Silver' Litecoin Raises Halving Alarm, XRP Price Enters 'Crocodile' Zone XRP Hits ‘Extreme Fear’ After 19% Drop U.Today Crypto Review: Ethereum (ETH) Loses 30-Day Progress, Shiba Inu's (SHIB) End of Bears; Bitcoin's (BTC) Last Recovery Chance Source: Onchain Lens After withdrawing ETH at around $2,943 per coin, the whale did not wait long and instantly sent all 5,099 ETH to Lido getting 5.1K stETH in return, which is now sitting in the same wallet. Advertisement Right now, the balance is just over $15 million, and almost all of that is in staked ETH, revealing a major long-term plan. Ethereum price context matters It is interesting that this on-chain pivot happened while ETH was trading near its local support zone around $2,939. That zone had been acting as a psychological barrier throughout January. This suggests the whale either sees the current weakness as a buying opportunity or expects strong upside in the staking economy. You Might Also Like Thu, 01/22/2026 - 15:35 $603 Million in Bitcoin and Ethereum, Biggest BlackRock Sale Underway By Godfrey Benjamin Advertisement No DEX swaps, no fragmentation — just a full conversion from CEX liquidity to ETH staking exposure. With whales like this moving into stTETH, Lido might see a fresh inflow cycle in the coming weeks if others follow the signal. #Ethereum News #Ethereum