Related Questions

This was a massive victory for the industry. It allowed major financial players to offer ETH products on the spot market without fear of enforcement actions. It signaled that the asset had graduated from the gray area into the regulated white market.

What Does This Mean for Staking?

While the asset itself is safe the act of staking is still debated. Regulators argue that "Staking as a Service" might be an investment contract. This is why many US based ETFs do not offer staking rewards.

This nuance means that while holding ETH is fine earning yield on it through a centralized provider might still be subject to Ethereum security regulations. This pushes many users toward decentralized solutions or on-chain staking where the code manages the yield rather than a company.

Why Does It Matter for Your Portfolio?

If ETH were classified as a security exchanges would have to delist it. Liquidity would dry up and the price would crash. The commodity classification ensures that exchanges like BYDFi can continue to list it freely.

It protects the open nature of the network. Developers can build applications without registering with the government. It keeps the ecosystem open for innovation rather than burying it in paperwork.

Conclusion

The battle over the Ethereum security label seems to have ended in favor of the commodity status. This regulatory clarity is the foundation for the current institutional adoption we are seeing. The network is now recognized as a digital resource rather than a corporate stock.

With the legal clouds clearing, there has never been a better time to engage with the network. Register at BYDFi today to trade Ethereum with full confidence on a compliant and secure platform.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is Bitcoin a security?
A: No. Bitcoin is universally recognized as a commodity because it had no pre-mine and no central leader. It is the only asset with zero regulatory ambiguity.

Q: Who regulates Ethereum?
A: As a commodity it falls under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for fraud and manipulation but the SEC still monitors the ecosystem for unregistered securities sales.

Q: Can the laws change?
A: Yes. Congress could pass new legislation that creates a specific "Digital Asset" category. However until then the current commodity framework stands.

Crypto lending is entering a new phase in 2025, and Nexo is positioning itself at the center of this transformation. The company has officially launched a zero-interest crypto lending product for Bitcoin and Ether holders, offering a structured alternative for users seeking liquidity without selling their long-term holdings.

The move reflects a broader shift in the digital asset lending market, where predictability, transparency and risk control are becoming more important than aggressive yields or speculative leverage. By removing interest costs altogether, Nexo aims to attract long-term BTC and ETH holders who want access to capital while maintaining exposure to potential price appreciation.

How Nexo’s Zero-Interest Credit Works

Nexo’s new product, known as Zero-Interest Credit, is built around fixed-term lending rather than open-ended borrowing. Users begin by selecting both the loan size and duration in advance, ensuring that all conditions are clearly defined before the loan is activated.

Once the loan is issued, borrowers are not exposed to liquidation risk during the loan term. This is a key distinction from traditional crypto-backed loans, which often rely on continuous margin monitoring and forced liquidations during periods of market volatility. Instead, Nexo locks in the structure until maturity, allowing users to plan with confidence regardless of short-term price fluctuations.

At the end of the loan term, borrowers can settle their obligations using stablecoins or, if preferred, by allocating part of their pledged collateral. Depending on market conditions, users may also choose to renew the loan under updated terms, extending access to liquidity without disrupting their overall crypto strategy.

Expanding a Proven Structured Lending Model

While the zero-interest offering is new for retail users, the underlying structure is not untested. Nexo previously made this lending model available through its private and OTC channels, where it facilitated more than $140 million in borrowing throughout 2025.

That earlier success demonstrated strong demand from institutional and high-net-worth clients for fixed-term, non-liquidating loan structures. By expanding the product to Bitcoin and Ether holders more broadly, Nexo is bringing institutional-style financial engineering to a wider audience.

This approach aligns with the growing maturity of the crypto market, where users increasingly prioritize capital preservation and long-term planning over short-term speculation.

Nexo’s Strategic Comeback and Global Footprint

Founded in 2018, Nexo has grown into one of the most recognized crypto financial services platforms, offering lending, trading and savings products across more than 150 jurisdictions. Like many centralized lenders, the company faced significant challenges during the crypto market downturn of 2022.

In April 2025, Nexo announced plans to reenter the US market after withdrawing in late 2022. This followed a $45 million settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in early 2023, resolving regulatory disputes related to its previous products. The company’s return to the US signals renewed confidence in its compliance framework and long-term strategy.

The launch of zero-interest crypto loans further reinforces Nexo’s efforts to rebuild trust and position itself as a regulated, transparent and resilient player in the evolving digital finance ecosystem.

The Revival of Crypto Lending in 2025

Crypto lending has undergone a dramatic transformation since the collapse of several major platforms in 2022. Companies such as Celsius and BlockFi were widely criticized for risky lending practices that amplified market contagion during the fallout from the FTX collapse.

In response, both centralized and decentralized lenders have redesigned their models around full collateralization, stricter risk controls and clearer user protections. By 2025, this more conservative approach has helped restore confidence across the sector.

Centralized platforms including Nexo, Ledn, Xapo Bank and Coinbase have expanded their lending offerings while emphasizing transparency and sustainability. At the same time, decentralized finance has experienced a strong resurgence driven by improved protocol design and growing institutional participation.

DeFi Lending Growth and Market Leaders

According to data from DefiLlama, DeFi lending total value locked rose from approximately $48 billion at the start of 2025 to a peak of nearly $92 billion in early October. Although the market experienced a temporary decline following a major liquidation event later that month, activity stabilized in November, with total lending TVL currently standing at around $66 billion.

Aave remains the dominant force in decentralized lending, supporting more than $22 billion in outstanding loans backed by over $55 billion in deposited assets. Morpho ranks as the second-largest protocol, facilitating roughly $3.6 billion in loans with approximately $10 billion in supplied liquidity.

These figures highlight the scale and resilience of crypto lending in its current form, particularly when compared to earlier, more fragile market cycles.

What Zero-Interest Loans Mean for Long-Term Crypto Holders

For Bitcoin and Ether holders, Nexo’s zero-interest lending product offers a compelling alternative to selling assets during periods of market uncertainty. By unlocking liquidity without interest costs or liquidation pressure, users can fund expenses, reinvest capital or diversify portfolios while maintaining long-term exposure to core crypto assets.

As the crypto lending industry continues to mature, products like Zero-Interest Credit may represent the next step toward sustainable, user-centric financial services. Rather than chasing yield, platforms are increasingly focused on stability, structure and real-world usability.

Nexo’s latest move suggests that the future of crypto lending will be defined not by risk-taking, but by disciplined financial design tailored to long-term investors.

Explore Smarter Crypto Lending and Trading with BYDFi

While platforms like Nexo continue to innovate in crypto-backed lending, traders and long-term investors looking for greater flexibility can explore BYDFi as a powerful alternative. BYDFi offers a secure and user-friendly environment for trading Bitcoin, Ethereum and a wide range of digital assets, with advanced tools designed for both beginners and professional traders.

With deep liquidity, competitive fees and support for spot and derivatives trading, BYDFi allows users to manage risk efficiently while taking advantage of market opportunities. The platform also emphasizes transparency and robust security standards, making it an attractive choice for those seeking reliable crypto exposure without unnecessary complexity.

As crypto finance evolves toward more structured and sustainable models, BYDFi stands out as a platform built for long-term growth, strategic trading and responsible capital management.

The architecture of digital asset investment has been fundamentally reshaped. In a watershed moment for the United States financial markets, Grayscale Investments has declared its inaugural cash distribution derived from Ethereum staking rewards to shareholders of its Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHE). This landmark event marks the first time a U.S.-listed spot crypto exchange-traded product has scheduled a payout directly linked to the foundational, on-chain mechanics of a proof-of-stake blockchain, transforming a cryptographic process into a tangible income stream for the mainstream investment portfolio.

The Mechanics of a Market First

This pioneering distribution, scheduled for payment today, will see shareholders of record receive an estimated $0.08 per share. The genesis of this capital is critical: it does not originate from traditional market trading, fund management fees, or corporate profits. Instead, it flows directly from the process of validating transactions and securing the Ethereum network. Following its activation of staking capabilities on October 6th, Grayscale has been committing a portion of the fund’s Ether holdings through institutional-grade custodians and third-party validator providers. The rewards earned in Ether for this service are systematically sold and converted into U.S. dollars, creating this novel cash distribution.

Bridging Crypto-Economics and Traditional Finance

This structure represents a significant bridge between two financial worlds. For the individual investor, it manifests as a familiar dividend-like payout, deposited directly as cash. Behind the scenes, however, it is powered by the innovative, protocol-level incentives of decentralized blockchain technology. Grayscale’s ability to offer this feature stems from the specific regulatory structure of its trust products, which operate outside the conventional Investment Company Act of 1940 that governs most ETFs. This framework allows for greater flexibility in activities like staking, while also carrying a distinct set of investor protections and considerations compared to traditional exchange-traded funds.

Immediate Market Validation and Grayscale’s Pioneering Role

The market’s response to the announcement was immediately positive, with the ETHE fund experiencing an uptick of approximately 2% in early trading sessions. This investor enthusiasm underscores the demand for products that offer not only exposure to digital asset price appreciation but also to the underlying yield-generating mechanisms native to these ecosystems. Grayscale, a digital asset manager founded in 2013 and now overseeing a formidable $31 billion in assets under management, has consistently positioned itself at the forefront of accessible crypto investment. Its dual offering of the ETHE fund and the more recently launched Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF (ETH) now provides the only U.S.-listed vehicles where investors can gain staking-adjacent exposure to Ethereum.

The Gathering Storm: A Looming Wave of Staking-Enabled ETF Competitors

While Grayscale enjoys the distinction of issuing this historic first payout, its first-mover advantage may be challenged in the near future. The success of the initial batch of spot Ether ETFs has catalyzed intense activity among the world’s largest asset managers, all seeking to enhance their own products with staking functionality. The regulatory pathway is already being paved.

Cboe BZX Exchange took a significant step in March by filing a proposed rule change seeking approval to allow the Fidelity Ethereum Fund to stake a portion of its assets. This filing followed a similar move in February for the 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF. These proposals explicitly outline plans to stake Ether through trusted, third-party providers, mirroring Grayscale’s operational model.

Perhaps the most significant signal of the sector’s direction came in November, when BlackRock, the global asset management behemoth, registered a  Staked Ethereum  exchange-traded fund with the state of Delaware. This is a critical procedural step that strongly indicates BlackRock’s intention to launch a staking-enabled product to sit alongside its existing, massively successful iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA). With ETHA currently managing over $11.1 billion in assets—making it the largest spot Ether ETF by a wide margin—the potential entry of BlackRock into the staking arena represents a formidable shift in competitive dynamics.

A Transformative Chapter in Crypto Asset Management

The declaration of this staking payout arrives as U.S. spot Ether ETFs conclude their first full calendar year of trading—a year that can only be described as resoundingly successful. Since their debut in July 2024, these funds have collectively attracted a staggering $9.6 billion in net inflows, amassing roughly $18 billion in total assets under management, as tracked by CoinMarketCap.

The leaderboard is clearly defined: BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) leads with ~$11.1B, followed by Grayscale’s ETHE at ~$4.1B, and the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust at ~$1.5B. Grayscale’s strategic move to activate and now distribute staking rewards can be seen as a powerful differentiator in this competitive landscape.

Looking Ahead: The Convergence of Capital and Protocol

This development is far more than a simple dividend announcement; it is a tangible indicator of the deepening convergence between traditional capital markets and decentralized crypto-economic systems. It validates a model where the passive ownership of a digital asset through a regulated security can generate a return based on the asset’s utility within its native network.

The question for the market is no longer if staking will become a standard feature of future digital asset ETPs, but when and how quickly the regulatory approvals will cascade for other issuers. Grayscale has lit the fuse. The industry now watches with bated breath to see which financial giant will follow, potentially igniting a new race to offer investors the most efficient and rewarding gateway to the yield-generating potential of the blockchain era. The age of the yield-bearing digital security has officially begun.

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