Key Takeaways
- Vitalik Buterin sold $3.67 million worth of ETH over two days.
- Despite concerns, Buterin’s roughly $16 million in February sales represent just 0.1% of Ethereum’s typical daily trading volume.
- Analysts warn that the sales may impact sentiment.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has sold about $3.67 million worth of Ether over the weekend, blockchain data shows.
The sale has prompted fresh concerns among traders that its price could fall below the $1,500 level if selling pressure persists.
Vitalik Buterin Sales Spark Fear
On-chain analytics account Lookonchain said on X that Buterin sold 1,869 ETH in the last 48 hours.
During that period, Ethereum fell from $1,988 to $1,875, representing a decline of approximately 5.7%.
The sales follow a broader wave of transactions this month.
Since early February, Buterin has sold roughly 8,800 ETH, worth about $16 million at prevailing prices, according to blockchain tracking data.
Earlier in the month, he sold nearly 3,000 ETH, valued at about $6.6 million, over several days.
Lookonchain noted that during a previous sale of 6,958 ETH, worth about $14.78 million at the time, Ether dropped from $2,360 to $1,825 — a fall of 22.7%.
Are Vitalik Buterin’s Sales at Risk of Crashing Ethereum Price?
Concerned traders have been taking to X to share their concerns for an impending crash of Ethereum’s price if Buterin continued to sell his holdings.
Despite the headline figures, analysts say the scale of Buterin’s sales remains small relative to overall market liquidity.
Ethereum’s combined spot and derivatives trading volumes frequently reach tens of billions of dollars per day — about $17 billion in a recent 24-hour snapshot.
By comparison, Buterin’s roughly $16 million in sales this month represents approximately 0.1% of a typical day’s trading volume.
“I doubt it will heavily impact the price just by selling, because the value of available supply is much greater than the amount he has sold,” CCN analyst Victor Olanrewaju said.
“However, his continued sales may impact holder confidence, which could lead to a decline in ETH accumulation and affect broader market sentiment,” he added.
The psychological effect may ultimately outweigh the direct liquidity impact, as weaker sentiment and confidence often lead more traders to exit the market.
How Much Ethereum Does Vitalik Buterin Own?
Despite his high-profile sales, Buterin remains one of Ethereum’s largest individual holders.
According to blockchain intelligence firm Arkham, Buterin currently holds around 224,104 ETH.
At the current trading price of approximately $1,950, those holdings are valued at roughly $439 million.
Buterin’s holdings have declined substantially over the last decade, with historical records showing he held over 662,000 ETH at the end of 2015, representing about 0.9% of the total supply at the time.
By the end of 2025, that share had fallen to roughly 0.20%.
Scaling Strategy in Focus Amid Sale Concerns
As concerns grow over Vitalik Buterin’s recent Ethereum sales and their potential market impact, some traders are remaining focused on their concerns for his long-term scaling strategy.
In recent remarks, Buterin suggested the network’s original rollup-centric roadmap is effectively outdated.
He argued that Layer 2s should no longer be viewed as “branded extensions” of Ethereum but as part of a broader spectrum of networks.
Buterin pointed to two key developments that, in his view, have reshaped Ethereum’s scaling outlook.
First, progress toward fully decentralized and seamlessly interoperable Layer 2 networks has proven slower and more complex than initially expected.
Second, Ethereum’s Layer 1 has improved more than anticipated.
The base network has achieved greater scaling efficiency, transaction costs remain relatively subdued, and additional gas limit increases are expected in 2026.
In response to the comments, Max Resnick, lead economist at Anza in the Solana ecosystem, called Ethereum’s L2 roadmap a “catastrophic failure.”
Meanwhile, David Choi, founder of usd.ai, described Buterin’s vision as aligning with “hard capital markets.”
Ethereum’s Price Downturn
Ethereum has faced sustained selling pressure over the past month.
According to data from CoinMarketCap, ETH has declined approximately 35.09% over the last 30 days, falling from around $2,950 to near $1,970.
By comparison, CoinMarketCap data shows the total cryptocurrency market capitalization dropped about 24.52% over the same period, while the altcoin market cap fell roughly 22.48%.
However, the downturn has coincided with a broader risk-off environment across crypto markets.
Negative headlines, including bridge security incidents and reports of sizable ETH sales, continue to weigh on overall sentiment.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
