According to a recent analysis, staked Ethereum withdrawals could take weeks following the Shanghai upgrade. The upgrade, which is set to be implemented in July or August, could cause significant delays due to changes in the Ethereum network’s consensus algorithm. This shift could impact stakers’ ability to withdraw their Ethereum tokens, potentially leaving them stuck in the network for weeks. As a result, cryptocurrency investors are advised to be cautious while staking and withdrawing their Ethereum tokens during this period.
Ethereum’s shift to a more energy-efficient proof-of-stake model has been a long-awaited event for many users of the platform. The transition will conclude with the launch of the Shanghai upgrade on April 12, which is paired with another upgrade called Capella. Users who staked their ETH in the network via individual validators or through platforms like Lido Finance and Rocket Pool will soon be able to withdraw their assets and accumulated rewards. However, they may not be able to withdraw their funds immediately or all at once as the length of the withdrawal queue could result in users having to wait several weeks to withdraw their funds.
The Ethereum 2.0 upgrade process began in early December 2020 with the launch of the Beacon Chain, responsible for managing the staking process. Third-party decentralized platforms such as Lido Finance also let users stake their ETH without managing their own validator nodes. In exchange for depositing ETH into the Lido Finance smart contract, users received a staked version of their ETH—an ERC-20 token known as stETH.
To date, more than 18 million ETH has been staked and locked into the Beacon Chain across 564,000 validators. The current annual percentage yield for validators is 4.4%, providing an interest-like return for stakers. Ethereum’s two-year journey to proof-of-stake has been described as a monumental event in the history of open-source software, and the withdrawal of assets is being likened to a “plane changing engine midair.”
Following the expected withdrawal window opening next week, questions are being raised as to the expected timeline for accessing funds. According to the Ethereum Foundation, a maximum amount of 16 withdrawals can be processed within a single block, totalling a maximum output of 115,200 per day. Demand requests will almost certainly extend this timeline, however. Even with the possibility of a rush to withdraw staked funds, experts believe that much of that ETH may ultimately be re-staked so that holders can continue earning rewards. Exactly how much may be re-staked is difficult to assess at this point.
Despite the anticipated withdrawal of staked assets, the value proposition of projects like Lido will slightly alter, but ultimately won’t change significantly following the Shanghai upgrade. Liquidity may become slightly less important because withdrawals are open, but being able to use staked ETH as collateral in DeFi is still hugely important for those pursuing any kind of sophisticated interest or yield-bearing strategy.
In conclusion, the withdrawal process of staked assets on Ethereum’s proof-of-stake model will not be immediate, and users may have to wait for weeks to access their funds. Despite this, the overall transition has been a monumental event in the history of open-source software and is highly anticipated by users who staked ETH in the network. Many experts believe that much of the ETH may ultimately be re-staked to continue earning rewards, while the value proposition of platforms like Lido will remain relatively unaffected.