Ethereum Leverage Hits All-Time High as BlackRock Scales Up Accumulation

Published: June 12, 2025
Authors: Lockridge Okoth, updated by Ann Maria Shibu

🧩 Key Takeaways

Record-Leveraged Futures: Ethereum futures open interest has surged to an all-time high of over $20 billion, driven by leveraged trading and speculative retail activity beincrypto.com+6beincrypto.com+6tradersunion.com+6.

Retail Traders Jump In: Glassnode notes retail futures trading is spiking past 1-year averages, while Bitcoin’s on-chain usage trails behind cointelegraph.com+13beincrypto.com+13fxstreet.com+13.

BlackRock’s Aggressive ETH Buys: The asset manager continues to build its position, having acquired $163.6 million in ETH. Other reports suggest this figure may even reach $570 million over a two-week buying spree beincrypto.com+4beincrypto.com+4tradersunion.com+4.

Bullish Momentum: Analysts, including those at Cointelegraph, foresee the factors combining to push ETH toward $2,800–$3,000 bitcoinist.com+5gov.capital+5beincrypto.com+5.

🔍 Why It Matters

Heightened Market Volatility: With futures OI and institutional inflows at record highs, ETH is primed for significant price swings—both up and down.

Institutional Validation: BlackRock’s substantial accumulation signals growing confidence in Ethereum’s long-term prospects.

Potential Price Breakout: Technical models, supported by inflow trends, point to a high probability of ETH surpassing $3,000 soon.