Ethereum’s Validator Entry Queue Has Surpassed the Exit Queue

The staking queue for Ethereum has surpassed the exit line for the first time in six months, with nearly double the ETH now in line to be staked compared to those looking to exit the network.

The entry queue for validators contains about 745,619 Ether (ETH), with a waiting period of almost 13 days, while the exit queue holds around 360,518 ETH and has an eight-day wait, according to data from the Ethereum Validator Queue blockchain explorer.

This significant change occurred on Saturday when both queues were approximately 460,000, but the entry queue has since surged, while some believe the exit queue is heading toward zero.

Abdul, the head of DeFi at layer 1 blockchain Monad, noted in an X post on Sunday that the last time the entry and exit queue flipped in June, Ether “doubled in price shortly after,” predicting that “2026 is going to be a movie.”

Ether crossed over $2,800 in June; however, by Aug. 24, it soared to a new all-time high of $4,946. As of Monday, it’s trading at $3,018.

Ethereum is a proof-of-stake network requiring validators to stake assets to secure it. Unstaking is often viewed as an indicator that validators wish to liquidate Ether, while staking signifies confidence in holding it long-term.

Validator exit queue could drop to zero

Abdul mentioned in a Dec. 24 post that the exit queue serves as a key indicator of predictable supply entering the market through unstaking, which has been under selling pressure since July.

“I estimate that about 5% of the Ether supply has changed hands since then — this includes Kiln’s unstaking in September. Approximately 70% of this unstaked ETH has been taken up by Bitmine, which now holds 3.4% of the ETH supply,” he mentioned.

Kiln, a staking service provider, initiated an “orderly exit” of all its Ether validators in September as a precaution following the exploit of the digital asset investment platform SwissBorg.