Ethereum Staking Entry Queue Holds 1,457,964 ETH With 25-Day Wait

Ethereum’s staking entry queue held 1,457,964 Ether (ETH) in the latest available reading, with an estimated wait of 25 days and seven hours, while a separate exit queue stood at 786,275 ETH.

The entry queue has fallen from about 2 million ETH and a 35-day wait in early September. The two readings show the amount of ETH waiting to enter and leave staking; they do not establish what caused the exit queue’s size.

Ethereum limits how quickly validators can join or leave the active set. When more validators are waiting than the network can process at its protocol-set rate, the queue can lengthen. Queue sizes and estimated waits can change as validators enter either line.

MetaMask Staking has begun precautionary exits of affected validators from Lido following a security incident that affected part of MetaMask’s infrastructure. MetaMask’s Oct. 1 update said its investigation had found no indication that its wallets or customer funds were affected; the investigation was ongoing.

The final affected validators are expected to exit by the end of Oct. 7, 2026. That is not the expected date for all the ETH to be withdrawn and returned to staking. The complete exit, withdrawal and re-entry cycle could take up to 45 days because of the extended entry queue. Holders of Lido’s stETH token do not need to take action.

MetaMask Staking’s validator withdrawals from Lido were already underway.