Coinbase now controls 11.42% of staked ETH, becoming Ethereum’s top node operator. Coinbase validators have achieved 99.75% uptime, surpassing network averages and boosting efficiency. ETH price briefly surged above $2K but struggled to hold gains amid market pressure.

Coinbase has emerged as the largest individual node operator on the Ethereum network, managing 11.42% of the total staked Ether (ETH).

This significant stake translates to approximately 3.84 million ETH, valued at around $6.8 billion as of March 3, 2025.

In its recent Ethereum Validator Performance Report, Coinbase highlighted an impressive validator uptime of 99.75%. This metric indicates the percentage of time validators are operational, surpassing the company’s target of 99% without compromising security standards.

The exchange attributes this performance to an architecture upgrade implemented in 2024, enabling continuous validator operation during beacon node maintenance.

Additionally, Coinbase’s validators achieved a participation rate of 99.75%, exceeding the network average of 99.52%. This rate reflects how effectively validators perform their consensus duties.

Furthermore, the average for signing and submitting blocks produced by Coinbase’s MEV relays stands at 99.76%, higher than the network average of 99.38%.

However, while Coinbase’s substantial stake underscores its influence within the Ethereum ecosystem, it has also sparked discussions about network decentralization.

Some community members express concerns that such a significant concentration of staked ETH within a single entity could pose centralization risks, potentially affecting the network’s security and governance.

To promote a truly distributed and decentralized Ethereum blockchain, Coinbase has strategically distributed its validators across multiple regions, including Japan, Singapore, Ireland, Germany, and Hong Kong.

This geographical diversification helps compartmentalize potential outages and accommodates customers who require validators to operate in specific regions for regulatory purposes.

Moreover, Coinbase has diversified its execution client software by adding support for Nethermind and Erigon, alongside the previously used Geth client. This aims to reduce dependence on a single client and enhance the network’s resilience against potential vulnerabilities.

Notably, the release of Coinbase’s performance report coincided with a surge in ETH prices.

On March 19, Ethereum (ETH) reached a weekly high of $2,068.76, marking a 12.3% increase over seven days.

However, the token has experienced a pullback below $2k at press time on March 20 to trade at $1,982.28.

It is worth noting that Ethereum’s price has remained below $2k since March 10 following a sharp decline from its December 2024 high of $4,106.96.

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