TLDR:
- The Ethereum price in 2026 breaks the psychological $3,000 barrier, seeking to consolidate a long-term bullish trend.
- For the first time in four months, staking demand exceeds withdrawals, reducing the liquid supply on exchanges.
- Vitalik Buterin reaffirms the network’s mission for 2026, focusing on scalability through zkEVMs and PeerDAS.
The Ethereum price in 2026 began the year with a decisive technical move. After a prolonged period of consolidation, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization managed to overcome the critical resistance of $3,000. At the time of writing, ETH is trading around $3,046, representing a 2.22% increase over the last 24 hours.
Market analysts, such as Ted Pillows, point out that this level acts as a fundamental technical and psychological pivot. However, they warn that to confirm a larger breakout, a sustained daily close above this mark is necessary. If Ethereum manages to hold this support, the scenario suggests an upward continuation; otherwise, the asset could return to a sideways trading phase.
Solid Fundamentals: Staking Boosts the Ethereum Price in 2026
Beyond technical analysis, on-chain data reveals a strengthening of the network’s fundamentals. Joseph Young highlights that, for the first time in four months, the amount of ETH waiting to be deposited for staking exceeds the withdrawal queue. This shift in behavior indicates that investors, including institutions, prefer to lock their assets for the long term rather than liquidate them.
This imbalance in validation queues reduces the circulating supply of ETH, a factor that historically favors the stability of the Ethereum price in 2026 against potential episodes of volatility. Validator confidence appears to be linked to optimism regarding the next update, dubbed “Glamsterdam.”
In summary, the network’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, shared a New Year’s message focused on technical infrastructure. Buterin highlighted advances in zkEVM and PeerDAS as pillars for improving scalability without compromising decentralization. Although Buterin made no direct mention of market value, his focus on building a “decentralized world computer” reinforces the bullish thesis for the Ethereum price in 2026, positioning the
