Bitmine Stakes $219M ETH; Aave Dispute; 2026 Ethereum TVL Outlook
Bitmine began staking Ether after transferring nearly $219 million worth of ETH to Ethereum’s proof-of-stake deposit contract. Sharplink co-CEO Joseph Chalom, as per his Twitter findings, projected a “10X” increase in Ethereum’s total value locked (TVL) by 2026. Meanwhile, Aave Labs founder Stani Kulechov denied purchasing AAVE to influence a recent DAO vote.
Bitmine starts staking ETH, deposits $219M into Ethereum PoS contract
Ethereum treasury firm Bitmine has initiated staking of its Ether holdings, moving nearly $219 million in ETH into Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS) deposit contract.
On Sunday, multiple wallets associated with Bitmine sent large Ether (ETH) transfers to a contract labeled “BatchDeposit,” according to on-chain data from Arkham. The transactions totaled 74,880 ETH, a pattern commonly seen in institutional staking arrangements that consolidate funds prior to validator setup.
On-chain analyst EmberCN noted on X that Bitmine (BMNR), described as the largest Ethereum treasury company, has begun seeking yield by staking its ETH. EmberCN added that this is the first time Bitmine has staked and that it holds 4.066 million ETH. At an approximate APY of 3.12%, staking the entire balance could generate about 126,800 ETH in a year, which at a price of $2,927 would equate to roughly $371 million.
Bitmine sending ETH to PoS staking address. Source: EmberCN
Sharplink CEO says Ethereum TVL could rise ‘10X’ in 2026
Ethereum’s TVL could expand ten-fold in 2026 as adoption widens across use cases and institutional participants, according to Sharplink co-CEO Joseph Chalom.
Sharplink Gaming is the second-largest public Ethereum treasury company, holding 797,704 ETH valued at approximately $2.33 billion at the time of publication, according to Ethereum Treasuries data.
Chalom predicted on X that the stablecoin market will reach $500B by the end of next year. The total stablecoin market capitalization currently stands near $308.46 billion, as known from DeFi Llama, implying an increase of about 62% if the forecast materializes. With about 54% of stablecoin activity occurring on Ethereum, such growth could support a rise in the network’s TVL.
Kulechov denies purchasing AAVE to sway DAO vote
Aave Labs founder Stani Kulechov rejected claims that he bought $15 million worth of AAVE (AAVE) to influence a recent governance proposal, which ultimately did not pass.
The proposal concerned adjustments to Aave’s governance processes and whether certain assets should fall more directly under the Aave decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), which oversees the protocol.
Kulechov stated on social media that the tokens in question were not used to vote on the proposal and that influencing the vote was not his intent. He added that he is committing his own capital to the project, describing it as his life’s work.
Backlash intensified after the governance vote was initiated amid ongoing debate, with several stakeholders arguing it was advanced prematurely and without broad consensus. The episode renewed discussion around Aave’s governance framework, including whether current mechanisms adequately protect minority token holders and limit the influence of large stakeholders.
Source: Stani Kulechov
#Bitcoin #Ethereum #DAO #Derivatives #Cybersecurity #Binance #Aave #Staking #Trust Wallet #Tokenization
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