The total amount of ether locked in Ethereum 2.0 has surpassed $1 billion since it was launched in the beginning of this month, according to data from Etherscan.
- Approximately $1,033,261,422.14 worth of ether is locked on Ethereum 2.0 as of press time.
- Prices for ether were traded at around $672.72, up 7.13% in the past 24 hours.
- The years-long upgrade of Ethereum, the world's largest smart-contract platform, went live on Dec. 1.
- The first phase of development for Ethereum 2.0 is centered on the creation of a separate proof-of-stake blockchain network called the Beacon Chain.
- On the Beacon Chain, ether holders with a minimum of 32 ETH can earn rewards in the form of annualized interest on their holdings. (CoinDesk is among those staked in Eth 2.0.)
- Many major crypto exchanges including Coinbase and Kraken have introduced Ethereum 2.0 staking services to their users.
- At the same time, data from blockchain analytic firm CryptoQuant shows the amount of ether held in all exchanges' wallets has been falling since late June.
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