Ethereum Staking Exit Queue Reaches New High Amid MetaMask Withdrawal

Ethereum's staking exit queue has reached its longest of 2026, with nearly 851,000 ETH waiting to leave, a fivefold increase in just three days. MetaMask, a popular wallet application, began withdrawing validators following a security incident, which accounted for most of the surge. The company said it found no evidence that wallets or customer funds were affected, but affected validators will be out of service for up to 45 days, missing out on rewards.

The total amount of Ether waiting to exit staking is now around 786,000 ETH, worth more than $2 billion, with an estimated wait of nearly 14 days due to Ethereum's limits on validator entry and exit. This is a significant increase from the 166,000 ETH waiting to exit on September 29. The network limits how quickly validators can join or leave to prevent sudden changes to its security, allowing for about 57,600 ETH to enter or exit each day.

Meanwhile, demand to start staking has been cooling, with around 1.5 million ETH waiting to enter, worth roughly $4 billion, with an estimated wait of about 25 days. This is down from 2 million ETH and a wait of about 35 days in early September.