Why Everyone’s Unstaking Ethereum? Cathie Wood Explains the Surge

Ethereum is making headlines again, not just for its price movement, but for a sudden spike in unstaking activity. According to Ark Invest’s Chief Futurist Brett Winton, the latest “Queue Wait Time” chart shows a sharp increase in users trying to withdraw their staked ETH.

So, what’s causing this surge?

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood believes there are two key drivers behind this trend: Robinhood’s 2% crypto match offer and a shift of staked Ethereum into Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) companies.

Let’s break it down.

Robinhood’s New Crypto Offer: 2% Match Boosts Activity

In a recent post on X, Cathie Wood pointed to Robinhood’s latest move as a major reason behind the unstaking activity. The platform is now offering a 2% bonus for users who transfer their crypto, including Ethereum and Bitcoin, to Robinhood wallets.

This incentive is designed to attract crypto holders and bring more digital assets under Robinhood’s control. As a result, many users are unstaking their ETH to take advantage of the offer.

The Rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DATs)

Beyond short-term offers, Cathie Wood highlights a more strategic trend: institutional investors and VCs are moving staked ETH into Digital Asset Treasury firms.

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These companies, similar to MicroStrategy (MSTR), hold large amounts of crypto on their balance sheets. MicroStrategy, for example, owns over 607,770 BTC worth $71.35 billion, making it the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin. The combined BTC holdings of all public companies stand at 897,086 BTC, valued at more than $105 billion.

According to Wood, investors believe that by transferring ETH into DATs, they can potentially double their money, gaining exposure to crypto and benefiting from the rising stock prices of these firms.

Why This Strategy Appeals to Traditional Financial Advisors

For many financial advisors, direct crypto exposure is still limited by regulations. But buying stock in Treasury firms like MicroStrategy allows them to offer indirect crypto exposure to their clients.

This is a key reason why more institutional players are opting for DATs. They see it as a smarter way to manage crypto within the bounds of traditional finance.

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