Ethereum (ETH) on Solana

Sberbank, Russia's largest lender, intends to accept Ethereum alongside Bitcoin and Tether as collateral for corporate loans, according to deputy chairman Anatoly Popov. The move follows President Vladimir Putin's August 4 signing of a digital currency law under which the Bank of Russia approved only three cryptocurrencies for public circulation — Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT — based on asset size, daily trading turnover, and at least five years of price history.

Sberbank has not disclosed loan-to-value ratios, interest rates, or a launch timeline, with the program conditional on Central Bank approval. The bank is also targeting a December 1 launch for a digital depository service. The development represents a notable institutional acknowledgment of Ethereum's legitimacy within Russia's tightly controlled financial framework, even as domestic crypto payments remain broadly banned effective September 1.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes named Ethereum his top cryptocurrency pick in a Cointelegraph interview on August 29, citing ETH as the only mega-cap crypto still below its 2021 all-time high. Hayes argued the widespread negative sentiment — "everybody hates it" — creates a contrarian asymmetric opportunity, and predicted ETH could surge 3x to 5x "pretty quickly" from current levels. He also pointed to Ethereum's foundational role in decentralized finance and its deep developer ecosystem as underpinning the thesis.

Hayes ranked Ethereum above Hyperliquid (HYPE) on a risk-reward basis, noting that HYPE already carries elevated market expectations following strong recent gains, whereas ETH's relative underperformance leaves more room for a catch-up trade. The comments add a prominent voice to a growing chorus of analysts and large holders reassessing Ethereum ahead of a potential breakout above its prior cycle peak.

BlackRock's iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB), launched in March 2026, has pulled in over $650 million in inflows to reach roughly $872 million in AUM — outpacing year-to-date inflows into ETHA, BlackRock's own non-staking Ethereum ETF that carries $8.6 billion in AUM but has attracted only $85 million so far this year. ETHB differentiates itself by staking 70–95% of its holdings (currently about 77%) and distributing the resulting rewards to shareholders as monthly cash payments, with BlackRock retaining 18% of rewards as fees. The fund's 30-day net rewards rate stands near 1.72%, contributing to an approximately 18% total return since launch.

The rapid accumulation signals growing investor appetite for yield-bearing exposure to Ethereum rather than plain spot holding. With category-leading inflows among a field that includes Grayscale ETH ($2.2 billion AUM), Grayscale ETHE ($1.9 billion AUM), and Fidelity FETH ($1.4 billion AUM), ETHB's early traction suggests institutional demand is shifting toward products that let holders participate in Ethereum's proof-of-stake economics — a dynamic that ties ETF growth directly to ETH staking activity on-chain.

Spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $116 million in total net inflows on August 24, marking the sixth consecutive day of positive flows. BlackRock's ETHA fund dominated the session, contributing $90.92 million — roughly 78% of all ETH ETF activity for the day — with Grayscale's Ethereum Mini Trust adding a further $12.50 million. Ether traded near $2,486 during the period, up 2.4% over 24 hours.

The inflow extends a streak that builds on what the reporting describes as the largest single-day Ethereum ETF inflow in ten months, recorded earlier in August. BlackRock's parallel leadership across both its Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF products reinforces the firm's position as the primary institutional entry point for crypto exposure.

Jiang Zhuoer, founder of Chinese Bitcoin mining pool BTC.TOP, has reversed his bearish stance on Ethereum, closing short positions that produced losses and repurchasing ETH near $2,100. He subsequently sold roughly half his spot holdings near $2,525 and now holds 20–30% of capital in USDT reserves. His stated plan: deploy those reserves into Ethereum if Bitcoin retraces to the $67,000–$72,000 range, or buy ETH at market prices by end of October regardless.

Zhuoer cited a confluence of factors for his bullish ETH outlook, including growing US government blockchain support under the Trump administration, accelerating tokenization of stocks and bonds that he argues favors smart-contract platforms, and rising demand from AI agent applications running on Ethereum. He also pointed to the ETH/BTC ratio breaking above a multi-year downtrend as a signal of genuine strength rather than simple capital rotation, and offered a rough price target of 20,000 USDT for ETH should Bitcoin reach 200,000 USDT at a 0.1 ETH/BTC ratio.

Ethereum spot ETFs recorded $697.18 million in net inflows during the week ended August 21, 2026 — their largest weekly intake since October 2025 and accounting for roughly 27% of the $2.6 billion combined haul across Bitcoin and Ethereum products. The week marked a sharp reversal from the prior week's $391.96 million combined outflow from ETH funds, with a single-day surge of $220.77 million on August 20 driving much of the momentum.

Despite the headline inflow figure, the recovery is tempered by context. Ethereum ETF assets remain 53% below their August 2025 peak, and the products are still down $177.93 million year-to-date — on pace for their first annual net outflow since launch. Analysts noted that a 29.2% price appreciation in ETH's holdings did more to lift total AUM than fresh capital did, suggesting the record week reflects revaluation as much as renewed investor conviction.