ETHA Review: iShares Ethereum Trust ETF

Verified Review
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BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) holds ether for a 0.25% annual sponsor fee. It gives investors exposure through Nasdaq-listed shares without managing a wallet, but it does not stake or earn staking rewards.

Underlying asset: Ethereum
7.3 Good
Review Highlights
  • BlackRock’s iShares ether fund
  • $9.69 billion in net assets, Sep. 23, 2026
  • Coinbase custody, plus Anchorage appointment

iShares Ethereum Trust ETF Overview

Fund Name
iShares Ethereum Trust ETF
Ticker
ETHA
Listing Exchange
Nasdaq
Fund Family / Issuer
BlackRock / iShares
Underlying Asset
Ethereum

Additional details

Exposure
Spot ether held by the trust.
Fund Structure
Delaware statutory trust, not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Annual sponsor fee
0.25%
Fee Assessment Base
Net asset value, as defined for the sponsor fee.
Effective Annual Charge
0.25%
Benchmark
CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate – New York Variant
Custody Appointments
Coinbase Custody Trust Company; Primary ether custodian; Holds the ether as the trust’s property and is liable for losses caused by its negligence, with a duty to replace lost ether.Anchorage Digital Bank; Additional ether custodian; Holds the ether as the trust’s property and is liable for losses caused by its negligence, with a duty to replace lost ether. The sponsor has no plans to move any of the trust’s ether to it.
Retail Asset Redemption
Individual shareholders cannot redeem shares for ether sent to a wallet. Authorized participants create and redeem blocks of shares with the trust.
30-day Median Bid/Ask Spread
0.05%As of Sep 23, 2026
Fund Assets
USD 9,689,012,528As of Sep 23, 2026
Net assets
Staking
No
Seed-basket purchase
May 21, 2024
First exchange trading
July 23, 2024
Reverse share split
1-for-3, effective Oct. 6, 2026
Other investor costs
Bid-ask spread and any broker charges are separate
Official website
iShares fund page

iShares Ethereum Trust ETF Screenshots

iShares Ethereum Trust ETF Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Ether exposure in a brokerage account
  • No personal wallet or keys to manage
  • Custodians answer for ordinary negligence

Cons

  • No staking rewards
  • No ether withdrawals to your wallet
  • Share price can differ from asset value

Who ETHA Is For

ETHA fits investors who want ether exposure as a security and are content to leave storage to the fund’s service providers.

Ether exposure in a brokerage accountFits, provided your broker offers the US-listed ETHA in your account type
Exposure without managing ether keysCustody is handled through the trust instead of a personal wallet
Staking rewards on your etherDoes not fit. BlackRock offers staking through a separate fund, ETHB
Ether to send, spend or stake yourselfDoes not fit. ETHA shares cannot be transferred to an ether wallet
iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) page showing a $55.56 NAV, a 0.25% sponsor fee and key facts including $8.68 billion in net assets
iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) page showing a $55.56 NAV, a 0.25% sponsor fee and key facts including $8.68 billion in net assets

What ETHA Is and How It Works

ETHA holds ether so that its shares follow ether’s price, less expenses. It holds the ether itself and uses no futures contracts.

Shareholders own an interest in the trust. They can hold and trade that security but do not control the private keys to its ether.

The trust’s prospectus rules out staking. Neither the trust, the sponsor nor the custodian will use the trust’s ether in staking or to earn any other income, so every return comes from ether’s price.

Benchmark and How to Check Tracking

ETHA values its ether using the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate – New York Variant, from CF Benchmarks. The benchmark combines trades from qualifying ether-dollar markets into a daily reference price aligned with 4:00 pm New York time.

iShares ETHA holdings table showing ether at a 100% weight alongside a small USD cash position
iShares ETHA holdings table showing ether at a 100% weight alongside a small USD cash position

Net asset value, or NAV, is the value of the trust’s assets after liabilities, divided by the number of shares. To check tracking, compare the fund’s NAV return with the benchmark over matching dates. Comparing a closing value with an ether quote from another hour introduces a timing difference that has nothing to do with fees.

Is ETHA Safe? Custody and Investment Risks

A fall in ether’s market price can substantially reduce an ETHA holding. The Nasdaq listing and BlackRock name offer no protection against that decline.

Who Holds ETHA’s Ether?

ETHA names Coinbase Custody Trust Company as its ether custodian. Anchorage Digital Bank was appointed as an additional custodian in 2025.

The report for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 says the sponsor has no plans to move any of the trust’s ether to Anchorage. Its appointment should not be read as an equal split or proof that custody is spread across two firms.

iShares ETHA documents section with the product brief, the prospectus and recent 10-Q and 10-K filings
iShares ETHA documents section with the product brief, the prospectus and recent 10-Q and 10-K filings

Coinbase also acts as the trust’s prime execution agent. Ether held there for trading is not segregated in the same way as the custody balance, and a trade-credit lien can reach the trust’s ether until any short-term credit is repaid.

Fund Structure and Regulatory Status

ETHA is a Delaware statutory trust and is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Calling it an ETF does not give it the same regulatory framework as a fund registered under that act.

ETHA Fees and Trading Costs

The sponsor fee is one part of what ETHA costs. Buying and selling the shares adds costs of their own.

Annual sponsor fee0.25%. Ongoing fund charge, accrued daily and paid at least quarterly
Broker chargesDepend on the broker and account. A commission or account charge may apply, separate from ETHA’s fee
Bid-ask spreadDepends on the current share quote. A wider spread raises the cost of entering or leaving a position

Applying 0.25% to a hypothetical $10,000 held at a constant value for a full year gives $25. Your costs move with the value of the holding, and trading costs come on top.

iShares ETHA key facts showing a NASDAQ listing, the CME CF Ether Dollar Reference Rate benchmark, 156,253,284 shares outstanding and a 0.05% 30-day median bid/ask spread
iShares ETHA key facts showing a NASDAQ listing, the CME CF Ether Dollar Reference Rate benchmark, 156,253,284 shares outstanding and a 0.05% 30-day median bid/ask spread

BlackRock cut the fee to 0.12% on the first $2.5 billion of assets for the fund’s first 12 months, from July 23, 2024. That waiver has ended, and the full 0.25% applies now.

Buying and Selling ETHA

ETHA trades on Nasdaq. Brokerage access varies by account and location. Confirm the fund’s full name and ticker in your account, and check whether fractional shares and your account type are supported.

iShares ETHA performance table comparing total return, market price return and benchmark return for one year and since inception
iShares ETHA performance table comparing total return, market price return and benchmark return for one year and since inception

A 1-for-3 reverse split took effect at the open on October 6, 2026. Each three shares became one, with the NAV per share adjusted proportionately. The split itself did not change the aggregate value of a holding, apart from fractional interests redeemed for cash.

Share Price and NAV

The share price can sit above NAV, called a premium, or below it, called a discount. When authorized participants create or redeem shares with the trust, the market price tends to move back toward NAV. Check the current bid and ask prices and any broker commission before you trade.

Ether Withdrawals and Retail Shares

Buying a share does not put ether into a wallet you control. Retail investors buy and sell shares on the market. Authorized participants create and redeem blocks of 40,000 shares with the trust, in cash or in ether. That process gives an ordinary shareholder no way to withdraw ether personally.

Where to buy ETHA

Explore broker options for iShares Ethereum Trust ETF.

ETHA — Nasdaq · United States

  • Robinhood

    U.S. accounts, subject to account eligibility and trading permissions.

    Eligibility details for Robinhood
    Account access
    U.S. self-directed securities brokerage through Robinhood Financial LLC; check IRA and fractional-share eligibility in your account
    Eligibility
    U.S. accounts, subject to account eligibility and trading permissions.
    Access notes
    Trade ETHA shares through Robinhood’s U.S. securities brokerage.
  • Webull

    U.S. accounts, subject to account eligibility and trading permissions.

    Eligibility details for Webull
    Account access
    U.S. self-directed securities brokerage through Webull Financial LLC; check IRA and fractional-share eligibility in your account
    Eligibility
    U.S. accounts, subject to account eligibility and trading permissions.
    Access notes
    Trade ETHA shares through Webull’s U.S. securities brokerage.

Availability depends on country and account.

ETHA Alternatives

Holding ether in a personal wallet is one alternative for investors who need to make transfers or control the keys. That choice brings responsibility for the wallet and for securing access to the coins.

ETHA vs ETHB

BlackRock runs a second ether fund, the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB), which stakes most of its ether. The two share a sponsor, custodians and benchmark.

ComparisonETHAETHB
Annual sponsor fee0.25%0.25%, cut to 0.12% on the first $2.5 billion until March 2027
StakingNoYes, 78.48% of ether staked on Sep. 23, 2026
Cut of gross staking rewardsNone10%

ETHB’s staking can add rewards, but also introduces validator and slashing risk. ETHA avoids that exposure by not staking.

iShares ETHA page listing the related funds ETHB and IBIT above the holdings table
iShares ETHA page listing the related funds ETHB and IBIT above the holdings table

Ethereum ETF Pillar Scores

  • Fund fees 24% weight Ongoing sponsor charge before temporary waivers, fee basis, covered expenses, extra fund costs, and waiver terms.
    7.9 / 10
  • Trading spread 20% weight Median difference between bid and ask prices over 30 days.
    9.0 / 10
  • Fund size 8% weight Value of the fund’s assets.
    10.0 / 10
  • Staking & reward sharing 20% weight Share of fund ETH staked and the share of gross staking rewards retained for shareholders after all reward deductions.
    0.0 / 10
  • Custody & asset rights 16% weight Fund ownership, asset records, custody-loss liability, withdrawal rights, and recourse for provider-caused slashing.
    10.0 / 10
  • Reporting & transparency 12% weight Required reports, public ETH and staking holdings, benchmark, NAV, and management's disclosure-control conclusions.
    10.0 / 10
iShares Ethereum Trust ETF

Final Verdict

ETHA suits investors who want ether exposure through BlackRock’s iShares range and accept the limits of holding brokerage shares. Its sponsor fee is 0.25% a year, and its custody arrangements permit claims for negligent safekeeping, subject to contract limits. The fund does not stake, so it avoids validator exposure and earns no staking rewards. Investors seeking those rewards can compare the separate ETHB fund. ETHA cannot supply ether for transfers to a personal wallet or for staking under an investor’s own control.

iShares Ethereum Trust ETF
Overall Score
7.3 / 10
Good

Best For

Investors who want ether exposure in a brokerage account from the largest US spot ether fund.

Avoid If

  • You want staking rewards, need to withdraw ether, or want to hold your own keys.
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FAQ

What is ETHA?

ETHA is the Nasdaq-listed iShares Ethereum Trust ETF from BlackRock. The trust holds ether and offers exposure through shares in a brokerage account.

Is ETHA safe?

ETHA exposes shareholders to ether’s price and depends on custodians and other service providers. Its listing and BlackRock branding do not protect against losses. ETHA is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

What is ETHA’s expense ratio?

The sponsor fee is 0.25% a year, with no waiver in effect. Broker charges and the bid-ask spread are separate.

Does ETHA stake its ether?

No. ETHA’s prospectus rules out staking, so the fund earns no staking rewards. BlackRock’s separate ETHB fund stakes.

Can I withdraw ether from ETHA?

An ordinary shareholder cannot redeem individual ETHA shares with the fund for ether sent to a personal wallet. Retail investors buy and sell shares on the market. Authorized participants use a separate process.

Is ETHA better than ETHB?

It depends on whether you want staking. ETHB stakes most of its ether and can earn rewards, while ETHA avoids validator and slashing exposure. Both list a 0.25% sponsor fee, but ETHB’s waiver reduces its charge to 0.12% on the first $2.5 billion until March 2027.