Vitalik Buterin Discusses Certain Changes to Ethereum Staking, What’s Coming Next?

In his recent blog post, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared his opinion on adding some protocols to the Ethereum blockchain code. He also touched upon the most important part which is the concentration of liquid staking service providers.

Vitalik Buterin discussed several Ethereum protocols, including the account abstraction protocol ERC-4337, ZK-EVMs, private mempools, code precompiles, and liquid staking. He expressed stronger support for “enshrining” some of these protocols, such as ERC-4337, in Ethereum’s code, while he had reservations about others like private mempools. However, he acknowledged that each protocol presents a complex tradeoff that will continue to evolve over time.

Buterin also raised concerns about the concentration of Ethereum’s liquid staking providers. Notably, Lido currently controls over 32% of staked ether, albeit across different validators. Buterin highlighted that both Lido and Rocket Pool, two major providers, carry different risks and have some safety measures in place, though these might not be sufficient.

Rather than relying solely on “moralistic pressure” to promote a more diverse set of staking providers, Buterin contemplated potential protocol changes aimed at further decentralizing liquid staking. These changes could involve adjusting RocketPool’s approach or granting additional governance powers to a randomly selected committee of small stakers.

ETH Price Gains Before Ethereum Futures Launch

In the last 24 hours, the Ethereum (ETH) price has gained more than 3.5% shooting all the way to the $1,750 level. The price move comes ahead of the launch of Ethereum futures ETFs and $1,750 serves as a key resistance level for Ethereum.

Ethereum faces major resistance at $1,800, and a successful breakthrough could pave the way for further gains toward $1,850 and $1,920, potentially even reaching $2,000. On the downside, if Ethereum fails to surpass the $1,750 resistance, it may initiate a corrective move.

Initial support lies around the $1,710 level, with a more critical support at $1,680. Additionally, the 76.4% Fibonacci retracement level from the recent rally, positioned near $1,685, offers support. A breach below $1,685 might test the $1,650 support, potentially triggering a bearish trend towards the $1,600 level.

As per the schedule and plans, the Ethereum futures ETF from Bitwise is likely to go live later today, October 2. As of a September 27 note, there are 15 Ether futures ETFs from nine different issuers awaiting approval. These issuers include well-known names like VanEck, ProShares, Grayscale, Volatility Shares, Bitwise, Direxion, and Roundhill.

The analysts assessing the situation have assigned a 90% likelihood of Ether futures ETFs launching in October. Among these offerings, Valkyrie’s Bitcoin futures product, with Bitcoin trading at approximately $28,308, is expected to be the first to include exposure to Ether starting on October 3.