VanEck Withdraws Lido stETH ETF Registration After a Year With No Shares Sold
VanEck Digital Assets asked the SEC on October 14, 2026 to withdraw the S-1 for its proposed Lido stETH ETF, filed October 16, 2025, saying it no longer intends to distribute the trust's shares.
Why it matters
The letter closes a proposed offering rather than a live fund, since no investor ever held shares, so the direct effect falls on VanEck's product lineup, which already includes U.S. spot bitcoin and spot ether funds. It also removes one test case for SEC review of a trust holding stETH, though Bitcoin Insider says the request is not evidence of an SEC rejection of liquid staking and does not rule out a future staking product from VanEck.
Where the sources disagree
Whether another regulated U.S. staked ether product is already live
Only proposed regulated U.S. channel for pure stETH exposure is removed
CoinGape
BlackRock's ETHB launched March 2026 and competes for staked ether ETF demand
Bitcoin.com News
CoinGape says the withdrawal removes the only proposed regulated U.S. channel for pure stETH exposure, while Bitcoin.com says BlackRock's ETHB, launched in March 2026, already competes for staked ether ETF demand.
Timing of VanEck's original filing
Form S-1 filed October 16, 2025
Cointelegraph, Crypto.News, Bitcoin Insider, TheNewsCrypto, Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Trust registered as a Delaware statutory trust in early October 2025, S-1 submitted days later
CoinGape
Five outlets date the S-1 to October 16, 2025, while CoinGape says VanEck registered the Lido Staked Ethereum Trust as a Delaware statutory trust in early October 2025 and submitted the S-1 days later.
Whether any reason for the withdrawal was reported
No reason given in the filing
Cointelegraph, Crypto.News, CoinGape, Bitcoin Insider, Crypto News (CryptoNews.net), Bitcoin.com News
Routine withdrawal practice offered as context, no specific cause reported
Bitcoin Insider
VanEck gave no commercial explanation in the filing, while Bitcoin Insider offers only general context that crypto product applications are routinely amended, delayed or pulled in response to regulatory feedback, market conditions or internal strategy shifts.
Key facts
VanEck Digital Assets filed a Form RW with the SEC on October 14, 2026 asking to withdraw the registration statement for its proposed Lido Staked Ethereum ETF.
Disputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
The withdrawal request was made under Rule 477 of the Securities Act of 1933.
Reported by CoinGape
VanEck stated that the registration was never declared effective, that no securities had been issued or sold, and that no preliminary prospectus had been distributed.
Reported by Crypto.News
VanEck first submitted the fund's Form S-1 registration statement on October 16, 2025.
Disputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
The proposed trust would have held stETH directly and tracked the token's price after operating expenses rather than holding ether or LDO.
Reported by Bitcoin Insider
CoinGape reported the fund was designed to track the MarketVector Lido Staked Ethereum Benchmark Rate index.
Reported by CoinGape
VanEck vice president Matthew A. Babinsky signed the withdrawal letter.
Reported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Bitcoin.com reported that Lido's total value locked has fallen to about $23.6 billion from $33.3 billion a year earlier.
23,600,000,000 USDReported by Bitcoin.com News
What happened
VanEck Digital Assets asked the SEC on October 14, 2026 to withdraw the registration statement for its proposed Lido Staked Ethereum ETF, stating in a Form RW filed under Rule 477 of the Securities Act of 1933 that it no longer intends to proceed with the planned distribution of the trust's shares. Cointelegraph, Crypto.News, CoinGape, TheNewsCrypto, Bitcoin.com and Bitcoin Insider all describe the same request and agree on the surrounding facts: the S-1 was filed on October 16, 2025, the registration was never declared effective, no securities were issued or sold, and no preliminary prospectus was distributed. The proposed trust would have held stETH directly and tracked its price after operating expenses rather than holding ether or LDO, with CoinGape adding that it was designed to track the MarketVector Lido Staked Ethereum Benchmark Rate index. VanEck gave no commercial reason and said nothing about a replacement product; Bitcoin Insider notes the letter is a request for SEC consent rather than a separate regulatory order and is not evidence that the SEC rejected liquid staking. Only Bitcoin.com supplies market numbers, reporting that Lido's total value locked has fallen to about $23.6 billion from $33.3 billion a year earlier and that BlackRock's ETHB, launched in March 2026, now competes for staked ether demand, while CoinGape makes the broader claim that the withdrawal removes the only proposed regulated U.S. channel for pure stETH exposure.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Ethereum’s 0x02 Validators Hit 40% Staked ETH, LidoFinance
- Official statement
VanEck files Form RW withdrawing the Lido stETH ETF registration
VanEck Digital Assets asks the SEC to consent to withdrawal of the S-1 filed October 16, 2025, citing Rule 477 and stating the registration was never declared effective and no shares were sold.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Cointelegraph
VanEck seeks to withdraw application for Lido staked Ether ETF
- Update
Cointelegraph reports the withdrawal and VanEck declines to explain
Cointelegraph said VanEck did not explain what prompted the decision or whether it would pursue a replacement product; the outlet reached out to VanEck Digital Assets for comment.
- Update
Crypto.News confirms no securities were issued or sold
Crypto.News reported the withdrawal request through an October 14 filing and that the proposed fund never issued shares, sold securities or distributed a preliminary prospectus.
- Update
CoinGape describes the product as the first U.S. ETF tied to stETH
CoinGape reported that VanEck registered the trust as a Delaware statutory trust in early October 2025, became the first issuer to file for a U.S. ETF tied directly to stETH, and that the withdrawal removes the only proposed regulated U.S. channel for pure stETH exposure.
- Update
Outlets stress the request is not an SEC rejection
Bitcoin Insider notes the letter asks for SEC consent and does not establish that the SEC rejected liquid staking or that VanEck has ruled out future staking products; TheNewsCrypto makes the same point about the filing.
- Official statement
Official statement from Bitcoin.com News
Vaneck Pulls the Plug on Its Lido Staked Ether ETF Before Launch
- Update
Bitcoin.com adds Lido TVL and BlackRock competition figures
Bitcoin.com reported the filing went unnoticed for more than a day before market feeds picked it up, that Lido's total value locked fell to about $23.6 billion from $33.3 billion a year earlier, and that BlackRock's ETHB launched in March 2026.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 13 Oct 2026, 22:05 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 15 Oct 2026, 01:21 UTC: Cointelegraph — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 15 Oct 2026, 05:53 UTC: Crypto.News — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 15 Oct 2026, 05:53 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 15 Oct 2026, 08:48 UTC: CoinGape — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
- 15 Oct 2026, 13:06 UTC: TheNewsCrypto — 6 independent sources, 7 reports
- 16 Oct 2026, 11:30 UTC: Bitcoin.com News, official — 7 independent sources, 9 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: United States, BlackRock, Larry Fink, Solana, BNB
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin.com News Company, official | Vaneck Pulls the Plug on Its Lido Staked Ether ETF Before Launch | Independent | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | Ethereum’s 0x02 Validators Hit 40% Staked ETH, LidoFinance | Original | |
| Cointelegraph Crypto media | VanEck seeks to withdraw application for Lido staked Ether ETF | Independent | |
| Crypto.News Crypto media | VanEck cancels plans for Lido staked Ethereum ETF | Independent | |
| CoinGape Crypto media | VanEck Files Form RW to Withdraw Lido Staked Ethereum ETF Registration with SEC | Independent | |
| TheNewsCrypto Crypto media | VanEck Withdraws SEC Filing for Proposed Lido Staked Ethereum ETF | Syndicated | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | VanEck Pulls Application for ETF Tracking Lido’s Staked Ether | Syndicated | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | VanEck Requests Withdrawal of Lido stETH ETF Filing Before Any Shares Were Sold | Syndicated | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | VanEck Abandons Lido Staked Ethereum ETF Plan Nearly a Year After Filing | Syndicated |
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