iShares' New Staked Ethereum Fund Pockets Monthly Distributions

The iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (NASDAQ: ETHA) is one of the most popular ways for U.S. investors to gain spot Ethereum exposure, but it doesn't do anything with the held Ether.

A newer product from iShares, the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (NASDAQ: ETHB), fixes this gap while keeping a similar wrapper. Unlike ETHA, which holds 100% Ethereum and charges a 0.25% fee, ETHB stakes its holdings and pays monthly distributions with an annualized forward figure of $0.38 per share.

ETHB has already begun paying distributions, with the first payment going ex-dividend on July 9, 2026, for $0.032059 per share. The fund reports payments monthly, with a trailing yield of 0.21% due to only two months of payments being on file.

The staking fund is actively managed and has less operating history than ETHA, but it tracks the unstaked version closely in price while layering income on top. While it's true that staked ETH is subject to validator slashing risk and unbonding queues, the fund keeps a liquid buffer rather than staking 100%.