Grayscale Sends Out $9.4M in ETH Staking Rewards

This article was first published on Deythere.

Grayscale Investments has recently made news by distributing staking yield to its investors in cash via its Ethereum Staking ETF (ETHE). Just early in the year, the fund paid approximately $9.39 million or around $0.0832 per share to holders of record as of January 5. 

The distribution, which constitutes staking rewards generated on or between October 6 and December 31, 2025, is a first for a U.S.-listed spot crypto ETP framing Ethereum ETF staking yield as a relatable income stream for traditional portfolios.

Grayscale’s First Cash Distribution of ETH Staking Rewards

The Grayscale move is the first time a U.S. spot crypto investment vehicle has converted rewards from Ethereum’s proof-of-stake model into cash payments for shareholders. The cash pay out of about $9,397,326 is the net from selling yields generated by the fund’s staked ETH over October 6 through December 31, 2025.

Shareholders holding ETHE shares on January 5, 2026 received the payout when the fund traded ex-distribution on the record date.

This is an operational process that turns on-chain variable income which has traditionally compounded invisibly in the form of net asset value (NAV) dollars into an explicit cash return to which traditional ETF investors are accustomed. 

How the Staking Yield Distribution Was Structured

Rewards for Ethereum staking are not known in advance like a traditional bond with fixed, scheduled payments; they depend on network usage, total ETH stake size, and validator performance and fees. 

To turn this dynamic income into a cash distribution that corresponds with stock and bond ETF mechanics, Grayscale sold the ETH staking rewards and used the proceeds to pay shareholders. This meant clean accrual accounting, specified record and payable dates and coordination with liquidity providers; the kinds of operational features typically required for income-generating financial instruments.

The distribution rhythm and format set expectations among investors about future payout dynamics that can change how institutional allocators are modeling Ethereum ETF staking yield in their frameworks. 

Regulatory and Market Background on Yield Distributions

One of the most noteworthy enablers of this evolution was IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-31, which created a safe harbor for certain trust-like products that wanted to hold digital assets without losing their “grantor trust” status under U.S. tax law. 

This has mitigated structural uncertainty and also incentivized issuers to distribute staking rewards as distributable cash, rather than quietly reinvesting into NAV.

In October 2025, Grayscale itself started staking ETH for its products, with ETHE and its mini-ETF now among the first set of U.S. spot crypto products to implement staking income in a scaled manner. 

The ability to provide staking yield directly to holders is an evolution from previous offerings which are only price performance trackers and are not capable of generating yield.

What then is the Yield War and the Competitive Space?

Grayscale’s distribution is likely to set off a yield-packaging competition among Ethereum ETF issuers. Other issuers, including 21Shares, have already indicated their intention to distribute staking rewards through their Ethereum ETF (TETH), indicating a wider adoption towards yield capabilities among similar products. 

As multiple funds make cash or structured yield available, investors will assess them based on net yield, transparency in calculation, distribution timing and fee effects, all dimensions that familiarize traditional market participants with income-oriented funds.

This “yield war” changes the story for Ethereum exposure. This is no longer a growth or speculative asset only, this is Ethereum through ETFs is now packaging recurring income that resembles dividends in conventional finance, even though the payout source is protocol staking mechanics rather than corporate profits. 

What Does this Mean for Ethereum and Investors

The distribution of the first Ethereum staking yield shows that the economic return of proof-of-stake can be brought into regulated investment products. 

Staking income existed for decades, accessible only via direct participation or crypto-native platforms; but with ETHE’s payout, that yield flows through to a friendlier regulated partner in an instantly recognizable format. 

On the investor side of things, cash distributions count as a mental accounting change: returns are now partially seen as income flow, not only NAV appreciation. 

Cumulative yield distributions may, over time, affect the way institutional and retail holders benchmark Ethereum against other asset classes containing defined income components.

Conclusion

Grayscale Investments reinvented Ethereum investment products by offering the first ever U.S. spot ETF staking yield payout. The Ethereum Staking ETP (ETHE) distributed roughly $9.4M in cash to shareholders from staking rewards it earned between October and December 2025. 

This allocation of on-chain economic incentives mirrors traditional investment theses and for the first time, brings a quantifiable yield component to Ethereum exposure that otherwise may appear non-existent to broad market investors. 

Regulatory clarity through the agency’s safe harbor and increasing competition among issuers, meanwhile, speak to a wider trend in the industry toward yield-bearing crypto ETFs. 

Glossary

Ethereum ETF staking yield: The revenue generated from staking the Ether held in an ETF and distributed to shareholders as cash.

ETHE: Grayscale’s Ethereum Staking ETF, which is a regulated investment product that holds ETH and earns staking rewards.

Record Date: The cutoff date by which investors must hold ETF shares to receive a distribution.

Ex-distribution: A trading status where new buyers of an ETF won’t be eligible for the next payout.

Safe Harbor (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-31): US tax guidance to make certain trust products able to stake assets without giving up the favorable tax classification.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ethereum ETF Staking Yield

What is the latest for Ethereum ETFs?

Grayscale’s ETHE became the first U.S. spot ETF to make a payment of Ethereum staking rewards, paying out approximately $9.4 million in cash on January 6, 2026.

How much money per share did the shareholders get?

Shareholders got about $0.083178 a share, as of Jan. 5, 2026, for holding at the time.

Which period did the staking yield cover?

The payout represented staking rewards received between October 6th and December 31st, 2025.

Is this a decrease in the ETF’s ETH holdings?

No. The payout was paid for by selling staking rewards, rather than reducing the position of principal ETH held in the ETF.

Will other Ethereum ETFs have this kind of yield?

Rivals, including 21Shares, are declaring the distribution of staking yields meaning more yield competition between issuers.

References

GlobeNewswire

IRS

GlobeNewswire