Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has experienced renewed downward pressure amid a widespread market crash. After reaching a mid-December high of $4,107—still below its November 2021 all-time high of $4,868—ETH slipped below $1,800, marking a 53% drop from its December peak. But while traders scramble to assess the depth of this current downturn, a new on-chain development has momentarily stolen the spotlight.
Is It Really The Ethereum Foundation?
A transaction flagged by on-chain analytics service Lookonchain raised alarms this week, suggesting an alleged liquidation risk for the Ethereum Foundation (EF). Lookonchain reported via X: “A wallet suspected to be Ethereum Foundation deposited 30,098 ETH ($56.08M) to Maker to lower the liquidation price 5 hours ago. Currently, this wallet has 100,394 ETH ($182M) on Maker, and the liquidation price is $1,127.06.”
The magnitude of the transaction—reportedly worth $56.08 million in ETH deposits—sparked widespread speculation about EF’s potential exposure. Lookonchain’s data implied that 30,098 ETH (approximately $182 million) was being used to back a MakerDAO vault with a liquidation threshold hovering around $1,127, a pivotal level givenETH’s recent price crash.
Chinese crypto news outlet Wu Blockchain was among the first to circulate the story. However, shortly thereafter, Wu Blockchain offered a clarification based on analytics from Arkham Intelligence.
The updated analysis indicates that the wallet’s connections to the Ethereum Foundation may have been overstated. The address, it appears, belongs to an early ETH investor who once interacted with EF’s official wallets but has since managed funds independently. The deposit of 30,098 ETH was presumably a strategic move to shore up collateral and lower the MakerDAO vault’s liquidation price during a market downturn.
Wu Blockchain noted via X: “Correction: Although 0x22…1246 was flagged by Arkam as a suspected Ethereum Foundation address, on-chain data confirms otherwise. While this address received a 4M DAI transfer from the Ethereum Foundation ETH Sale in May 2022, its transaction behavior and initial ETH funding trace back to jonny.eth (0xb76), indicating that it is more likely an early ETH investor rather than the Foundation itself. This address deposited 30,098 ETH into the MakerDAO vault today, with an outstanding debt position of 78,035,224.7182 DAI.”
While the liquidation price remains $1,127—a level that some observers believe could be tested if market pressures persist—there is currently no official evidence linking the vault to the Ethereum Foundation. Consequently, rumors of an EF liquidation seem to be unfounded, given the clarifications brought forth by Wu Blockchain based on Arkham data.
At press time, ETH traded at $1,925.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
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