Georgetown, Cayman Islands, April 15th, 2026, Chainwire
The three-year deal commits $3Bn in ETH to ETHGas’ High Performance Staking Service. It marks a major step toward forward pricing tools for Ethereum’s growing role as a settlement layer for big institutions.
A $3Bn commercial deal was announced today. Its goal is to build blockspace markets on Ethereum that are fit for big institutions.
The deal is between ETHGas, a performance infrastructure that brings forward markets and execution guarantees to Ethereum, and ether.fi, the leading onchain banking alternative and non-custodial staking protocol.
The Gap in Ethereum’s Market Infrastructure
Today, Ethereum sells blockspace through a real-time spot auction. There is no way to set prices ahead of time, buy space in advance, or guarantee that a transaction will go through.
Every block is fought over at the last second. This leaves:
- Validators with revenue they cannot predict
- Apps with no certainty that their transactions will run
- Institutions without the risk tools they need to work at scale
Throughput is growing and institutional activity is speeding up. This is shown by over $25Bn in ETH held across institutional vehicles. As this grows, the lack of a forward market for blockspace becomes a more and more serious gap in Ethereum’s financial infrastructure. Readers can follow the latest Ethereum price for market context.
How ETHGas Solves This For Wall Street
ETHGas creates an exchange layer for blockspace. On it, validators can sell the right to include transactions in future blocks ahead of time. Buyers can purchase guaranteed execution in advance. These buyers include rollups, traders, solvers, and onchain apps.
This creates a forward curve for Ethereum blockspace. It allows real price discovery for the network’s most basic resource. It also gives institutions the risk tools they need to work at scale on Ethereum.
Building the Supply Side
A forward market for blockspace only works if many validators take part and commit to it. ether.fi brings exactly that. It has over 2.8M staked ETH under management and one of the largest validator footprints on Ethereum.
Its $3Bn commitment to ETHGas’ HPS service sets up the supply side the market needs. With it, the market can offer credible execution guarantees to institutional buyers, rollups, and onchain apps at scale.
“Every major commodity market in history has moved from spot to futures. Ethereum blockspace is next. ether.fi’s commitment gives us the validator depth to make that market real, and with it, the foundation for Ethereum to function as a settlement layer for global institutional capital,” said Kevin Lepsoe, Founder and CEO of ETHGas.
Partnership Terms
Under the agreement:
- ether.fi has agreed to commit about 40% of its current ETH holdings, equal to $3Bn, to ETHGas’ High Performance Staking (HPS) Service.
- The term is three years, and the ETH is deployed as soon as the deal is signed.
- ether.fi has also agreed to use only ETHGas’ preconfirmation platform during the term.
- Commitments depend on ongoing performance targets.
- The parties may grow the scope and size of the partnership under a separate agreement.
The three-year term reflects the size of what is being built. A deep, liquid market for blockspace futures takes time to set up. But the payoff reaches well beyond institutions, validators, and traders.
Companies and developers building on Ethereum gain something they never had before. They can design apps around guaranteed execution times and predictable transaction costs. This changes what can be built.
It supports Wall Street’s push to scale up tokenization. It also supports Ethereum’s use in consumer apps, where transaction costs, like electricity, become an “invisible” cost to the consumer.
“Committing validator capacity to ETHGas is a direct extension of our mission to maximize what staked ETH can do. Preconfirmations improve execution certainty for our users, and participating in a structured forward market for blockspace opens yield opportunities that have never existed before. We are building for where Ethereum is going, not where it is today,” said Mike Silagadze, CEO and Founder of ether.fi.
The partnership sets an example for how major ETH holders can take part in the next phase of Ethereum’s growth.
As tokenized assets move onchain at scale, institutions want more predictable and reliable execution. Blockspace then becomes a key infrastructure layer for global financial markets.
The commitment by ETHGas and ether.fi marks the start of a wider effort. It aims to build the validator depth and market structure Ethereum needs to meet that demand. ether.fi has also been expanding its payments offering, as our report on ether.fi and MoonPay shows.
About ETHGas
ETHGas is a settlement infrastructure for Ethereum blockspace commitments. It changes how users interact with Ethereum. It offers low-latency, 3ms settlement times and a full product suite built around precision and predictable order execution.
ETHGas’s mission is to turn Ethereum into a real-time network and unlock the next stage of its growth. ETHGas sees a future where end-users can shield themselves from swings in gas prices, find chances for extra yield, and enjoy a better experience on Ethereum.
Users can follow ETHGas developments on X (Twitter) or contact ETHGas directly with any enquiries
About ether.Fi
ether.fi is the fastest-growing onchain banking alternative with the leading crypto credit card by spend volume, Cash.
It started as a restaking protocol and has grown into a full financial platform. It is DeFi-native, and mainstream users use its vaults, staking, and credit card products too. These help people bridge their on-chain and off-chain financial lives. ether.fi excels at helping users earn and spend on their crypto with ease and peace of mind.
More information about ether.fi and their latest developments on X (Twitter) and their website.
Contacts
Wahaj Khan
wahaj@serotonin.co
Nathan Galindo
nathan@ether.fi
This is a press release / sponsored content. Read our Sponsored Content Policy. This article is not intended as financial advice. Educational purposes only.
