-
On-chain data from Arkham Intelligence shows 17,196 ETH sold, reducing holdings by about 7%.
-
Proceeds included 500,000 USDC sent to Kanro after a trade via CoW Protocol and Wintermute.
-
Sales follow Buterin’s pattern of funding philanthropy and core Ethereum development during market downturns.
Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin sold more than $30 million worth of ether this month, according to Arkham Intelligence. The sales occurred on-chain throughout January and early February. They aimed to support the Ethereum Foundation during a period Buterin described as “mild austerity,” while also funding his biotech nonprofit.
ETH Sales Reduce Holdings but Fund Core Priorities
Arkham data shows Buterin sold 17,196 ETH this month, worth roughly $35 million. As a result, his ETH holdings declined from over 240,000 at the start of 2026 to about 224,000 ETH. This represents roughly seven percent of his current ETH stack.
Notably, Buterin’s ETH holdings peaked near 663,000 ETH in 2015. Since then, his balance has fallen by more than sixty percent. However, Arkham notes that the reductions align with long-term funding commitments rather than personal spending.
Buterin previously stated the sales reflect his “own share of the austerity.” These comments followed a recent Ethereum price drop below $2,000. The proceeds support Ethereum’s long-term sustainability and core protocol development.
On-Chain Transfers Reveal Destination of Funds
Arkham tracked a major transaction announced by Buterin on January 30. He sold 16,384 ETH, with the movement becoming visible on-chain days later. The transaction originated from a Gnosis Safe Proxy wallet.
Additionally, on February 2, Buterin transferred 211.841 wrapped ETH into CoW Protocol. The trade routed through Wintermute. It resulted in exactly 500,000 USDC sent to Kanro’s wallet. Kanro is a biotech charity founded by Buterin. It funds open-source biomedical research and addresses existential risks, according to public disclosures.
Sales Follow Longstanding Pattern of Donations
Arkham reports that Buterin still holds about $450 million in ETH and AETHWETH. These assets remain split across direct holdings and positions deposited on Aave. Historically, Buterin has linked large token sales to charitable efforts.
In January 2025, he sold meme tokens for $2.5 million, donating the proceeds to Kanro. In 2021, he donated $1.2 billion in SHIB tokens to India’s COVID relief efforts. According to Arkham, the latest ETH sales follow that established pattern.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
Hidden "Death Spiral" Risk! Ethereum and Bitmine targeted by short-selling institutions
Ethereum will undergo significant upgrades this year, but short-selling firm Culper Research released a report pointing out that the Ethereum economic model is severely failing, hiding a "death spiral" risk, and has shorted Ether and Bitmine. The report warns that shrinking returns could lead to decreased staking willingness, jeopardizing the security of the Ethereum network. Culper Research questions Ethereum's active user data, believing that its "death spiral" is already unfolding.
区块客40m ago
The whale "pension-usdt.eth" short position of 1000 BTC narrows its unrealized loss to $2.2 million
ChainCatcher Message: According to HyperInsight monitoring, the large whale "pension-usdt.eth" is currently shorting 1,000 BTC with 3x leverage, with an average entry price of $68,182.7, and a current unrealized loss of $2.2 million.
GateNews43m ago
Ethereum Mirrors Past Rally Setup — Big Move Brewing?
Ethereum open interest hits its highest level since January, signaling renewed trader activity.
Price approaches realized cost basis near $2,300, a critical sentiment level.
Technical indicators show early bullish momentum, with key resistance ahead.
Ethereum — ETH, is at a familiar
CryptoNewsLand1h ago
Yesterday, Bitcoin ETF experienced a net outflow of approximately $227.83 million, while Ethereum ETF saw a net outflow of $90.9 million.
PANews March 6 News, according to Cointelegraph, on March 5th, BTC, ETH, SOL, and XRP spot ETFs all experienced net outflows. Among them, Bitcoin ETF had a net outflow of $227.83 million, Ethereum ETF had a net outflow of $90.9 million, Solana ETF had a net outflow of $5.23 million, and XRP ETF had a net outflow of $6.15 million.
GateNews1h ago
Vitalik calls for a rethinking of Ethereum's application layer: assuming there are no users, how would the white paper be rewritten?
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently called on the community to be more bold in innovating at the application layer while maintaining core values. He believes that the security and principles of the base layer should remain unshaken, but the application layer should be more disruptive and experimental. He explored the future design of privacy technologies and DeFi, and advocated for rethinking Ethereum's applications, even suggesting that if there were no users, developers should consider how to rewrite the application section of the white paper from scratch to face future challenges.
ChainNewsAbmedia1h ago
Data: Yesterday, the US Ethereum spot ETF experienced a net inflow of $22.72 million.
According to crypto analyst Trader T's monitoring, US Ethereum spot ETFs saw a net inflow of $22.72 million yesterday. Among them, ETHA (BlackRock) had a net inflow of $28.98 million, while several other ETFs experienced varying degrees of net outflows.
GateNews3h ago
