Ethereum staking reached a record high again in the third quarter of 2026.

CoinPost, a blockchain outlet, reported on Oct. 21 that Bitwise said in its recently released "Bitwise Staking Report" that Ethereum staking rose to 43.8 million ETH as of the end of the third quarter, accounting for 35.9 percent of total supply.

The pace of growth was also steep. Net staking from the first quarter through the third quarter of 2026 totaled 7.96 million ETH. That was about six times the 1.31 million ETH recorded a year earlier. Bitwise pointed to staking participation by companies and institutions such as BitMine as a driver of the expansion.

Net staking in the third quarter alone was 1.99 million ETH. That extended the rise in Ethereum staking to a sixth straight quarter. The quarterly increase was larger than 1.44 million ETH in the second quarter but far short of 4.53 million ETH in the first quarter.

Bitwise cited the Pectra upgrade carried out in May 2025 as a key factor in addition to corporate and institutional demand. After Pectra, validators could automatically compound consensus rewards, and the maximum staking limit was expanded to 2,048 ETH from 32 ETH. That means the staking structure itself became more favorable for larger deposits.

Returns fell, by contrast. Ethereum's annual staking yield in the third quarter averaged 2.63 percent, down from 2.81 percent in the second quarter. Bitwise said that as more Ethereum was staked, the yield per 1 ETH declined, and execution rewards such as priority fees also fell.

Solana showed a similar pattern. Solana staking rose to about 440 million SOL, a record high. That was about 69 percent of supply, up from 68 percent in the previous quarter. Total annual staking yield fell to about 5.99 percent. Bitwise noted that declining rewards tied to new issuance weighed on yields, while higher fee prices partly offset the drop.

The report also covered Hyperliquid, Robinhood Chain and Near in addition to Ethereum and Solana. Market attention focused on the fact that staking volumes are rising simultaneously across major blockchains. Ethereum in particular showed a higher staking share as expanding institutional participation coincided with a protocol upgrade.

Bitwise also mentioned the expansion of traditional finance in on-chain markets. On the Solana network, meme coin trading was active, and tokenised stock trading volume rose 45 percent from the previous quarter to $6.93 billion. The quarter was characterised by staking expansion and growth in on-chain finance happening at the same time.

Key points to watch going forward are whether the increase in staking volumes continues and how far yields decline. Ethereum already has 35.9 percent of supply staked. Solana also has 69 percent of supply deposited, drawing attention to what changes expanding network participation could bring to yields and on-chain fund flows.