The proposed fund would offer institutional investors regulated exposure to Ethereum staking through Lido’s stETH token
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VanEck has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a VanEck Lido Staked ETH ETF.
It’s the first U.S. exchange-traded fund proposal tied to stETH, the token representing ether staked through the Lido protocol.
Filed on Oct. 20, the S-1 registration seeks approval to offer regulated exposure to Ethereum’s staking ecosystem within a conventional ETF framework.
According to VanEck’s filing, the proposed fund would hold stETH, a liquid staking token that allows holders to access staking rewards while retaining liquidity.
The ETF aims to mirror Ethereum’s staking economics while maintaining daily liquidity and full onchain transparency. Lido’s protocol has generated over $2 billion in staking rewards and currently secures nearly $40 billion in total value locked, according to the foundation.
Kean Gilbert, Head of Institutional Relations at the Lido Ecosystem Foundation, said the filing “signals growing recognition that liquid staking is an essential part of Ethereum’s infrastructure.” The foundation noted that the ETF structure could offer institutional investors a tax-efficient, compliant path to staking exposure without direct onchain interaction.
The move follows recent clarification from the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, which stated that certain liquid staking operations do not constitute securities transactions when conducted under administrative parameters.
This is a developing story.
This article was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by editor Jeffrey Albus before publication.
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