Coinbase’s emergence as the Ethereum network’s largest node operator raises concerns about network centralization that could worsen as institutional adoption accelerates, industry executives told Cointelegraph.
On March 19, Coinbase published a report disclosing that the US cryptocurrency exchange controlled more than 11% of staked Ether (ETH), more than any other Ethereum node operator.
According to Karan Sirdesai, CEO of Web3 startup Mira Network, Coinbase’s growing dominance highlights “a systemic issue in Ethereum’s staking architecture.”
“We’re creating a system where a handful of major players control an outsized portion of network security, undermining the core promise of decentralization,” Sirdesai told Cointelegraph.
According to the report, Coinbase controlled 3.84 million ETH staked to 120,000 validators, representing 11.42% of staked Ether as of March 4.
Liquid staking protocol Lido controls a larger share of staked Ether overall — approximately 9.4 million ETH,