Ethereum Hits Year-High Transactions Amid SEC Staking Clarity

- Ethereum transactions hit 1-year high; 36 million ETH now staked. - The SEC’s liquid staking guidance clarifies rules for DeFi protocols. On August 5, 2025, Cointelegraph, Unchained, and AInvest reported that Ethereum transaction volumes surged to a one-year high after the SEC issued new regulatory guidance. According to the guidance, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance stated that, under specific conditions, it will not classify certain liquid staking activities as the offer and sale of securities, particularly when participants receive “staking receipt tokens” tied to underlying staked assets. The SEC released this information on August 5 in a document titled “Statement on Certain Liquid Staking Activities.” The guidance specifies that receipt tokens from liquid staking do not qualify as securities because their value is tied directly to the underlying assets and does not depend on the entrepreneurial or managerial efforts of third parties. As a result, this clarification is a significant development for decentralized finance (DeFi), as it could open the door for increased institutional adoption and create new revenue opportunities for staking protocols. While several SEC leaders praised the new guidance, the statement also revealed divisions within the Commission. On August 5, in a public statement, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins described the guidance as a “significant step forward” in clarifying rules for crypto asset activities. In the same statement, Commissioner Hester Peirce likened liquid staking to the longstanding practice of issuing deposit receipts. However, Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw critiqued the guidance, arguing that it offered little reassurance to staking entities and lacked grounding in the realities of the DeFi industry. On August 6, 2025, Cointelegraph reported that the market reacted positively to the guidance. Supporting this observation, data from Dune Analytics showed Ethereum staking reached a record-breaking 36 million ETH, which is approximately 30% of the total Ethereum supply. This milestone reflects growing confidence among Ethereum holders, although it comes amid ongoing regulatory uncertainty for DeFi, including pending SEC decisions on spot Ether ETFs and proposed legislation like the CLARITY Act in Congress. According to CoinMarketCap on August 6, Ethereum (ETH) was trading at $3,682.58 as of 21:09 UTC, with its 24-hour trading volume having increased by 2.7%.