--- title: "Bankless founder liquidates his ETH holdings; Ethereum's most loyal followers have all left." type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/287222530.md" description: "David Hoffman, co-founder of Bankless, has liquidated all his ETH holdings, marking a significant shift for the influential Ethereum platform. This decision follows a wave of departures from the Ethereum Foundation, with nine core researchers leaving, raising concerns about the platform's future. Despite Ethereum's current dominance in developer activity, its monthly active users have declined by 17% year-over-year. Institutional interest remains, with significant holdings from firms like BlackRock and Fidelity, but the overall sentiment appears to be shifting as key figures exit the ecosystem." datetime: "2026-05-21T12:33:44.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/287222530.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287222530.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/287222530.md) --- # Bankless founder liquidates his ETH holdings; Ethereum's most loyal followers have all left. BanklessCo-founderDavid HoffmanPosted onX, announcing that he has sold allETH. This is not a stop-loss decision made by an ordinary investor. Bankless, founded in 2020, is the most influential Ethereum content platform in the English-speaking crypto community. The co-founder's liquidation of his entire ETH holdings is not a signal; it's the fall of a flag. Hoffman previously stated that 99% of his money is tied up in Ethereum. His article, "Ether is equity," has been shared and collected by countless fans, while his podcast and community, "Bankless," have brought millions of people into the world of Ethereum. In May, five core researchers from the Ethereum Foundation announced their departure. By 2026, those who truly understood and believed in Ethereum were leaving one by one. ## Ethereum Foundation9People leaving This wave of resignations startedMonth started, and by 5months have been accumulated9People, of which5 Even earlier, Co-Executive DirectorTomasz StańczakLess than a year in officeIn5Ecological coordinatorTrent Van Eppsand Head of OperationsJosh Starkat4The number of Ethereum core developers has increased from2025year5month225people, dropped to2026Year ## **David HoffmanandBanklessWhat happened** 5month20 2025YearSolanaNew Developers11,534, a year-on-year increase of 83%, with the growth rate of new developers repeatedly surpassing that of Ethereum. While Ethereum still boasts the highest number of monthly active developers across the entire chain, its monthly active users in 2024 have decreased by 17% year-over-year, making the growth story increasingly difficult to tell. 2021At the end of the year, the worldDeFiThe total value of locked positions is close To2026year5Month, EthereumL1AddL2The total locked position is about780Yizhi1500billion US dollars, accounting for the globalDeFishare from2025At the beginning of the year Meanwhile,2026year4 ETHYesBTCThe exchange rate is currently hovering around 0.0275, at 10Monthly low, ## Embrace of institutions and listed companies As of2026Year BlackRock'siShares Ethereum Trustholds about , the asset management scale is approximately65To72USD; Fidelity'sWise Origin Ethereum FundHolds about118Ten thousandETH. In late April, there was a record of 10 consecutive days of net inflows, and in early May, the daily net inflow once exceeded 100 million US dollars. There are currently37listed companies holdingETH BitMine Immersion TechnologiesOne ​​family holds more than 500Ten thousand pieces;SharpLink Gaming, Bit Digital\] are also continuously increasing their holdings and obtaining on-chain rewards through staking. Regarding the tokenization of real-world assets, the global on-chain RWA market size has reached nearly $300 billion, with Ethereum accounting for 60% to 100% of it. 65% of the share. BlackRock's BUIDL fund has exceeded $2.4 billion, making it the largest product in the tokenized US Treasury market; Ondo Finance focuses on tokenized short-term US Treasury bonds, and its ecosystem has exceeded $2.5 billion. Ethereum staked amounts to over 36 million coins, representing more than 30% of the total circulating supply. Approximately 55% of the global stablecoin market operates on Ethereum. ## **After the evangelist left** DavidWhat he sold wasn't the Ethereum network, but his... ### Related Stocks - [ETHE.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHE.US.md) - [COIN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/COIN.US.md) - [COIG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/COIG.US.md) - [ETHW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHW.US.md) - [LMBO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LMBO.US.md) - [FETH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FETH.US.md) - [CETH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CETH.US.md) - [ETHA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHA.US.md) - [ETHHKD.VAHK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHHKD.VAHK.md) - [ETHUSD.VAHK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ETHUSD.VAHK.md) - [BLK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BLK.US.md) - [BMNR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BMNR.US.md) - [SBET.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SBET.US.md) - [BTBT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTBT.US.md) - [BTX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BTX.US.md) - [BIT.RT*.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BIT.RT*.US.md) - [BDJ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BDJ.US.md) - [BSTZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BSTZ.US.md) - [BIT.RT.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BIT.RT.US.md) - [BMNRD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BMNRD.US.md) ## Related News & Research - ['The Entire Economy Is Going To Be Tokenized,' Consensys CEO Joseph Lubin Says, Positioning Ethereum As The Winner](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286265353.md) - [Ethereum Community Debates Changes To Staking Model As ETH Remains Stuck Below $2,300](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286153164.md) - [Intchains (ICG) Q4 2025 Earnings Transcript](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287244297.md) - [Sharplink Lost $686 Million In Q1, But SBET Could Still Double Thanks To 'Favorable Setup'](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286130478.md) - [Crypto exchange Blockchain.com confidentially files for IPO](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287225110.md)