Interactive Brokers Launches Ethereum Staking for Eligible Clients Through Zerohash

Interactive Brokers has rolled out Ethereum staking for eligible clients, the Nasdaq-listed brokerage announced on Tuesday, October 13. The service runs through crypto infrastructure provider zerohash and lets qualifying Interactive Brokers LLC customers earn rewards on their ETH holdings directly from the firm's Client Portal.

The launch puts one of the largest U.S. brokerages, which reports more than $903 billion in client assets and over 5 million clients worldwide, into a staking market worth roughly $110 billion. It also deepens a digital asset push that already spans trading in 20 cryptocurrencies, stablecoin funding and futures, as institutional participation in Ethereum staking climbs.

How the Ethereum Staking Service Works

Eligible customers access the product through a Staking Dashboard inside IBKR's Client Portal, where they can submit staking and unstaking requests and monitor pending activity. "At launch, eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients can stake Ethereum through the Staking Dashboard in IBKR's Client Portal, where they can submit stake or unstake requests and monitor pending activity," the firm said. Availability depends on the client's account affiliation and country of residence.

Zerohash, one of the brokerage's two crypto infrastructure partners alongside Paxos, operates the staking service behind the scenes. Rewards are credited in ETH and added to the staked balance, where they can compound for as long as the position remains staked. The product supports Ethereum only at launch.

The brokerage has not disclosed a specific staking fee or a guaranteed annual yield, and the release did not say what share of rewards zerohash or Interactive Brokers will retain. Zerohash has said platforms set their own customer fees, which are deducted from staking rewards before clients receive their portion. The firm's advertised crypto trading commissions of 0.12% to 0.18% are separate from any staking charges.

Clients also face limits on access to staked holdings. ETH committed to validators cannot be sold or moved right away, and getting it back means going through an unstaking procedure that Ethereum's validator exit queue can slow down. Interactive Brokers has not provided a guaranteed withdrawal deadline, and it cautions that digital assets held via its crypto partners are not under the firm's own custody and fall outside Securities Investor Protection Corp. protection.

Galik Frames Staking as Income Tool

Chief executive Milan Galik presented the product as a way for clients to generate income on assets already in their accounts, drawing a parallel with the firm's Stock Yield Enhancement Program, which pays customers a share of revenue from lending out their fully paid shares. "Similar to how our Stock Yield Enhancement Program allows clients to earn additional income on shares they own, staking gives clients an opportunity to earn rewards on the cryptocurrency they own," Galik said.

"We want clients to earn more from the assets they hold," Galik added. Blockhead noted the comparison is useful for the broker's customer base but that the economics differ: income from lending shares hinges on how much borrowers want a given stock, whereas staking yields are generated by the Ethereum network's issuance and transaction fees and expose holders to protocol risks such as slashing and unbonding delays.

Institutional Share of Staked ETH Climbs

The brokerage enters the market as Ethereum staking sits near record levels. Roughly 43.7 million ETH, or 35.77% of circulating supply, is now locked with validators, per validatorqueue.com figures sourced from the beaconcha.in explorer. With ETH changing hands near $2,500, that staked pile carries a value of about $110 billion.

Growth has continued through a prolonged slide in crypto prices. Lido's first-half report showed staked ETH rose 19% to 43.1 million by June 30 from 36.3 million at the start of January, even as the token lost 47% of its dollar value. Much of that increase came from institutional and custodial staking services, with the institutional segment's share of staked ETH rising to 35.3% from 25.9% over the six months, according to Lido.

Lido's own market share slipped to 21.2% from 23.9% over the period despite higher deposits through its protocol, a shift that illustrates the expanding role of institutional platforms in a market long dominated by crypto-native providers. Interactive Brokers arrives with an existing client base accustomed to trading stocks, bonds, futures and digital assets in one account, positioning it to compete for assets investors might otherwise hold at specialized exchanges or staking providers.

Part of a Broader Crypto Buildout

Staking extends a series of crypto additions the firm has made this year. January brought 24/7 account funding with stablecoins, March allowed clients to move existing crypto holdings onto the platform without selling first, and July saw twelve more tokens listed via zerohash and Paxos plus the ability to send stablecoins to wallets outside the firm. Clients can now trade 20 digital assets, including Bitcoin, Solana, XRP, Chainlink, Aave and Dogecoin, and fund accounts with USDC, RLUSD and PYUSD.

Earlier this year the brokerage also introduced Bitcoin and Ethereum futures through a partnership with Coinbase Derivatives, including nano contracts, and it offers access to Kalshi, CME Group and ForecastEx prediction markets. The regulatory path for U.S. brokers offering staking widened in May 2025, when the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance said staking on a protocol, even when a third party arranges it on a custodial basis, falls outside the offer and sale of securities. The statement is staff guidance rather than a binding Commission regulation, but it cleared away the chief legal barrier that had deterred many U.S. intermediaries from offering the product, Blockhead reported.

Zerohash, the firm powering IBKR's staking product, has on its own pursued a federal banking charter. Records from the OCC show a second trust bank application filed in August for a proposed Zerohash National Trust Bank to be headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, after the regulator returned an initial filing in July, according to crypto.news.

IBKR Stock Reaction and Analyst Views

IBKR shares slipped following the announcement, trading near $87 and down more than 1% during the session, according to TradingView data cited by EconoTimes and Coingape. The stock has fallen roughly 4% over the past month but remains up more than 32% year to date.

Simply Wall Street described the Ethereum staking feature as additive to client engagement, arguing it folds crypto yield, inexpensive trading and stablecoin funding into a single brokerage workflow that could keep more assets and activity inside the platform. The outlet said the launch on its own does not materially change the primary catalysts or risks, with the rate environment remaining the biggest near-term swing factor for earnings.

Analysts tracked by Simply Wall Street expect quarterly earnings of $0.66 per share on $1.83 billion of revenue, and the site's narrative projects $10.7 billion in revenue and $1.8 billion in earnings by 2029. The most optimistic analysts were already penciling in roughly $11.8 billion of revenue and $1.9 billion of earnings by 2029 before the staking launch, according to the outlet.

Conclusion

Interactive Brokers has added Ethereum staking to a platform that already spans crypto trading, stablecoin funding, futures and prediction markets, with zerohash running the underlying service. Eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients can stake and unstake through the Client Portal's Staking Dashboard, though fees, reward splits and withdrawal timing remain undisclosed, and staked ETH held through the firm's crypto providers does not qualify for Securities Investor Protection Corp. coverage. The product launches with Ethereum only, and the company has not said when or whether additional assets will follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Interactive Brokers launch Ethereum staking?

Interactive Brokers announced Ethereum staking for eligible clients on Tuesday, October 13. Qualifying Interactive Brokers LLC customers can stake ETH through the Staking Dashboard in the firm's Client Portal, with crypto infrastructure provider zerohash operating the service.

Who provides Interactive Brokers' Ethereum staking service?

Zerohash, one of the brokerage's two crypto infrastructure partners alongside Paxos, provides the staking service. Clients submit staking and unstaking requests and track activity through IBKR's own platform, while rewards are credited as additional staked ETH that can compound.

What fees does Interactive Brokers charge for ETH staking?

The brokerage has not published a specific staking fee or a guaranteed annual yield, and the release did not say what share of rewards it or zerohash retains. Zerohash says platforms set their own fees, deducted from rewards. The broker's 0.12% to 0.18% crypto trading commissions are separate.

How much ETH is currently staked on Ethereum?

About 43.7 million ETH, or 35.77% of circulating supply, is committed to validators, according to validatorqueue.com data from beaconcha.in. With ETH priced near $2,500, that staked total is valued at roughly $110 billion. Lido reported institutional staking's share rose to 35.3% in the first half.

Can staked ETH on Interactive Brokers be withdrawn at any time?

No. Staked ETH cannot be sold or transferred immediately, and getting it back requires an unstaking procedure that Ethereum's validator exit queue can delay. Interactive Brokers has not given a guaranteed withdrawal deadline and warns that crypto held through its providers does not qualify for Securities Investor Protection Corp. coverage.