Last Friday (December 5), BlackRock submitted an S-1 registration statement to the SEC for a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) called the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB). This fund will focus on staked Ethereum, distinguishing it from BlackRock’s well-regarded iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), a spot ETF. BlackRock doubling down on its Ethereum exposure could be the catalyst that sends ETH USD to $5,000.
ETH USD is trading at around $3,100, down -1% over the past 24 hours. Over the past week, Ethereum has surged +11%, driven by renewed sentiment around the second-largest cryptocurrency, as BlackRock and its CEO, Larry Fink, continue to back the asset.
BlackRock and its ETHB Ethereum Staking Product is HUGE for ETH USD
The BlackRock ETHB ETF will track the performance of Ethereum while also including rewards earned from the Ethereum held in the trust that is staked. According to the S-1 filing, “The trust is a passive investment vehicle that does not seek to generate returns beyond tracking the price of Ethereum and staking a portion of the Ethereum it holds, which may vary over time.”
The filing for ETHB follows the establishment of a Delaware statutory trust in November, a standard step that usually precedes ETF filings for cryptocurrency and commodity products. Earlier, BlackRock had attempted to add a staking component to its spot Ethereum ETF, ETHA.
🔥 LATEST: BlackRock submitted a filing for a staked $ETH ETF signaling huge interest in yield for institutional investors.
Ethereum provides yield by design similar to the idea of dividends. pic.twitter.com/QyfKriI4bG
— Ethprofit.eth 🦇🔊 (@Ethprofit) December 8, 2025
Although the SEC accepted requests for this adjustment as early as July, it has repeatedly delayed a formal decision, with the latest postponement in early September. It remains unclear how the filing for ETHB will affect plans to integrate staking into ETHA.
Ethereum-staking ETFs have emerged following the creation of generic listing standards for commodity trusts. Grayscale’s ETHE was the first to launch in early October, soon followed by the REX-Osprey ETH + Staking ETF. Despite this, these new offerings have not significantly affected the popularity of BlackRock’s existing spot ETF.
iShares Still the Largest Spot Ethereum ETF as BlackRock Moves to Dominate the Ethereum Staking ETF Space
To date, BlackRock’s iShares (ETHA) product has amassed over $11Bn in assets under management (AUM), equivalent to approximately 3.6M ETH. At the same time, Grayscale’s ETHE and ETH Mini Trust ETFs together hold less than $5Bn, or about 1.8M ETH.
BlackRock’s success extends to the Bitcoin sector, exemplified by its iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), currently the largest crypto ETF, with approximately $70Bn in assets.
On Monday, IBIT rose about +1% even as Bitcoin prices dipped -1.5% over the last 24 hours, currently trading at $90,150. Meanwhile, ETHA gained more than +3%, while Ethereum dropped by around -1.8% to around $3,100.
Once approved, the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB) is expected to trade alongside BlackRock’s other ETFs on the Nasdaq exchange, with the asset manager cementing itself as the market leader in all areas of digital asset ETFs.
BlackRock has over $10 trillion in AUM, making it the largest asset manager in the world, and its continued expansion into the digital asset ETF space is a resounding endorsement of crypto. It could be the catalyst that drives ETH USD to $5,000 in the near future.
With BlackRock driving positive sentiment back into the crypto market, coupled with this week’s expected 25bps rate cut from the Fed FOMC meetings, risky plays are thriving right now, and none more than PepeNode (PEPENODE). PEPENODE is a memecoin/utility hybrid with a revolutionary ‘Mine-2-Earn’ feature.
BONUS: Is PepeNode (PEPENODE) the Must-Have Memecoin Play for a Post 25bps World in December?
Once a 25 bps rate cut is confirmed at tomorrow’s US Fed FOMC meeting, it should signal a return to risk-on assets among investors, with crypto likely to be the biggest beneficiary.
PepeNode (PEPENODE) is a strong example of a project that could explode after tomorrow’s Fed meeting. It is currently available in presale for $0.0011873, with the ICO ending in 30 days, making it a blue-chip play to kick off 2026.
With $2.2M in ICO funding secured to date, PEPENODE’s utility, which features a ‘Mine-2-Earn’ virtual mining mechanism and staking, has made it one of the most in-demand presales in 2025.
These elements are generating excitement and interest in the PEPENODE token ahead of its January launch on DEXs and CEXs, amid rumors that multiple Tier-1 CEXs are closely monitoring the project.
Virtual mining allows investors to create virtual nodes and facilities that generate rewards instantly through a user-friendly dashboard. This feature enables presale investors to compound their investments and earn additional income through a fun and engaging GameFi approach to mining.
As the broader crypto market continues to settle as we head deeper into December and inch closer to the end of the year, PEPENODE looks like a perfect play for a positive shift in risk-on sentiment.
Those seeking exposure to yield-bearing memecoins need to look no further than PepeNode, which offers live staking and 562% APY, allowing holders to compound their PEPENODE bags while waiting for the ICO to conclude in early January 2026.
EXPLORE: Best Meme Coin ICOs to Invest in 2026
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