Ethereum’s staking exit queue expanded sharply last week, with more than 851,000 ETH waiting to leave the network by Oct. 2. The surge pushed the estimated exit wait to its highest level of 2026 after MetaMask began withdrawing validators following a security incident.
The queue held about 166,000 ETH on Sept. 29, according to a CoinDesk analysis. Three days later, it had grown to roughly 851,000 ETH, equal to about 2% of the 43.6 million ETH staked on Ethereum. The total also exceeded the approximately 476,000 ETH seen during the previous peak in May.
By Monday morning in Asia, around 786,000 ETH, worth slightly more than $2 billion, remained queued for exit. At the prevailing processing rate, stakers faced an estimated wait of nearly 14 days.
Ethereum staking allows ETH holders to earn rewards by assigning their coins to validators, which process transactions and help secure the network. To prevent sudden changes in its validator set, Ethereum restricts the number of validators that can enter or leave staking within a given period.
At current limits, about 57,600 ETH can enter the staking system each day, while the same amount can exit. When withdrawals increase sharply, the restricted throughput can quickly create a backlog. ETH that completes the exit also has to pass through a separate withdrawal stage before reaching the owner’s wallet.
MetaMask Accounts for Most Exits
MetaMask appears to be responsible for much of the recent increase. The company operates staking validators for Lido in addition to providing its widely used cryptocurrency wallet.
Ethereum security researcher Kaden estimated that the precautionary withdrawals involved approximately 17,000 validators holding around 523,000 ETH. MetaMask has not confirmed those figures.
The company disclosed the security incident on Sept. 30 and began removing affected validators from operation. An update issued on Oct. 1 said its investigation had found no evidence that customer wallets or funds were compromised.
Much of the current exit queue is therefore expected to represent a temporary movement of MetaMask-linked ETH. Lido expects the coins to gradually return to staking once the affected validators complete their exits, withdraw their balances and redeploy the ETH.
The process could take up to about 45 days, according to Lido. During their period out of service, the affected validators will not earn staking rewards.
“No action is required from stETH holders,” Lido said last week, referring to the token representing ETH staked through its platform.
Lido expects the remaining affected MetaMask validators to stop staking by Oct. 7. Their balances will then proceed through the exit and withdrawal process before potentially returning to staking.
ETH Staking Demand Cools
While the exit queue has surged, the amount of ETH waiting to enter staking has moved in the opposite direction.
About 1.5 million ETH, valued at roughly $4 billion, was waiting to enter the staking system on Monday, with an estimated queue time of around 25 days. In early September, approximately 2 million ETH was waiting, with the estimated delay reaching about 35 days.
That represents a decline of more than a quarter in the entry queue since early September, highlighting a widening contrast between temporary validator exits and cooling demand for new staking positions.
