Validators have transitioned from native ETH staking to restaking.

# Validators have transitioned from native ETH locking to restaking.

The total volume of locked value in Ethereum liquid restaking protocols has reached $30 billion. The growth is attributed to validators transitioning from native staking to more profitable instruments, reports The Block.

Change of Strategy

During times of market instability, native ETH staking was the safest option for generating income, experts noted. However, the market has stabilized, and DeFi protocols have shown resilience. As a result, participants have become more actively seek higher yields.

Liquid restaking allows users to earn rewards for staking ETH while also generating additional income. In this process, users maintain liquidity through derivative tokens that can be used in other DeFi applications.

Not leaving, but redistribution

Some observers considered the withdrawal of funds from staking to be a negative signal. However, the data shows that users are not leaving the Ethereum ecosystem. They are simply reallocating assets into more profitable instruments.

This confirms the growth of leading protocols in the sector. Platforms like EtherFi and Eigenpie have significantly increased their market share since the beginning of the year.

Analysts from The Block noted that the sector shows steady growth until mid-2025. The trend indicates that Ethereum users are becoming more experienced in income-generating strategies.

Recall that in August, the largest queue for withdrawals from staking was recorded in Ethereum — over 910,000 ETH worth $3.7 billion. A crypto analyst under the nickname Bull Theory explained that the increase in the number of requests is related to profit-taking.