BlackRock’s Staked ETH ETF Filing and Fake ASTER Rumor Split Market Attention as ETF Narratives Intensify

Institutional Demand Grows While Retail Faces Another Viral Hoax

TL;DR

• BlackRock files a staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB), aiming to stake 70–90% of holdings with Coinbase Custody as the primary custodian.
• Bitcoin and Ethereum react to institutional flows while analysts track price levels tied to breakout zones in the broader crypto price index.
• A fake “Staked ASTER ETF” filing circulates on X, later debunked by CZ after the document showed errors and no SEC record.

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BlackRock’s newest ETF application pushed institutional crypto exposure into a deeper phase as the firm submitted an S-1 registration for the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust, a product designed to stake the majority of its ETH holdings while offering shareholders regulated access to both price performance and on-chain yield. The proposal, filed under the expected ticker ETHB, outlines that 70% to 90% of the trust’s Ethereum would be staked under normal market conditions, with the remainder held as a liquidity buffer for redemptions and operational demands. Coinbase Custody Trust Company appears as the primary custodian, while Anchorage Digital Bank is listed as a secondary provider, underscoring BlackRock’s focus on operational redundancy in a market where institutional-grade custody continues accelerating alongside a rising coin market cap environment.

Staking rewards would flow directly back to the trust, net of third-party validator fees, which BlackRock confirms it will outsource rather than run internally. The move positions ETHB as a differentiated product from the firm’s existing spot Ethereum ETF, ETHA, which tracks only crypto price action. ETF analysts noted that ETHB marks BlackRock’s fourth digital-asset filing after spot Bitcoin, spot Ethereum, and a Bitcoin income product, adding further momentum to a cycle defined by rapid ETF expansion and the firm’s growing footprint in sectors once viewed as too volatile for traditional capital. The filing arrived as IBIT, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin product, continued cementing itself as the largest crypto ETF globally with roughly $70 billion in assets, contributing significantly to a broader shift in how institutional investors approach digital assets within the global crypto price index.

Ethereum tracked a constructive pattern of its own, holding support in the $2,700–$2,800 range as buyers repeatedly defended pullbacks that formed a sequence of higher lows following November’s retreat. Analysts described ETH as regaining control on lower timeframes, adding that the next leg up may follow if Bitcoin secures a sustained breakout above $93,000. The ETH/BTC pair also began to stabilize, hinting at a rotation where Ethereum could outperform Bitcoin even if both assets climb, a dynamic watched closely by traders benchmarking asset strength against the broader crypto price index rather than isolated pair trades.

The week’s ETF narrative split sharply once a forged “Staked ASTER ETF” document began circulating on X. The screenshot, posted by an influencer, claimed BlackRock had filed an S-1 for a product called the iShares Staked ASTER Trust ETF. The image carried a date of December 5 and mimicked the aesthetic of an SEC filing but fell apart under basic scrutiny when users noticed obvious typos, including the date written incorrectly as “20255.” A quick search of SEC records showed no such filing from BlackRock or Grayscale, contradicting the viral post’s claims. Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao cut through the speculation by labeling the document fake, adding that “Aster doesn’t need these fake photoshopped pics to grow,” a comment aimed at cooling hype that had begun generating confusion across trading circles tracking daily changes in crypto price conditions.

The rumor followed an earlier episode in October, when a similar screenshot falsely suggested that Grayscale had submitted an S-1 for an ASTER ETF. That hoax triggered a rapid 15% price jump that pushed ASTER above $2.20 on heavy volume until confirmations emerged that no such filing existed. This time, the market reacted more cautiously: ASTER slipped around 3.94% in the 24-hour window surrounding the fake BlackRock rumor, trading near $0.937 despite active speculation. Meanwhile, fundamentals continued strengthening elsewhere, with on-chain data showing more than 200,000 holders, weekly token burns totaling roughly 77.86 million ASTER (valued at approximately $79.81 million), and daily buybacks approaching $4 million—figures used by developers to argue that fake ETF headlines undermine rather than support sustainable growth.

A member of the ASTER development team criticized the spread of false documents and urged the community to avoid amplifying inaccurate claims, stating that hype built on fabrication harms long-term integrity. The episode reinforced a broader theme: ETF narratives now influence sector-wide liquidity, create volatility pockets across mid-cap tokens, and invite misinformation that exploits the increased visibility of regulatory filings. The contrast between BlackRock’s verified ETHB submission and the ASTER hoax illustrated the widening gap between institutional-grade disclosures and retail-facing social-media speculation, even as both shape short-term movements in crypto price and sector sentiment across an expanding coin market cap landscape.

This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.