Vitalik Buterin Sells $6.6M ETH Amid Crash — But It's All for Charity

Over three days from February 2 to 5, 2026, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, sold about 2,961 ETH worth roughly $6.6 million. Tracker data from Lookonchain, Arkham, and NS3.AI showed transactions with an average price of around $2,228 per ETH and batches sent straight to donation-related addresses or exchanged into stablecoins like GHO and USDC. Continuing a well-documented pattern of selling assets to support AI safety programs, biotech research, open-source development, and public goods—in accordance with his long-standing public commitment to give away the bulk of his wealth—this recent move comes after his previous sale of 1,441 ETH (about $3.3 million) on February 2–3.

The sales occurred as the price of Ethereum saw a steep fall, losing over 5% in a single day to reach approximately $2,130 and touching lows close to $2,079 during the period. Part of a steeper 55% correction from its 2025 highs, ETH fell 7–10% in the broader weekly performance, hence increasing short-term FUD (fear, doubt, uncertainty) among investors and so magnifying down pressure during a period of market weakness and liquidity tests around the $1,800–$2,000 range. Notwithstanding the timing, experts highlight that Buterin's sales represent his steady philanthropic plan rather than any change in opinion on the fundamentals of Ethereum, not any indications of panic or bearish conjecture.

Although the sales increased sentiment-driven volatility, their size is insignificant when set against Ethereum's daily trading volume of $20 to $40 billion. With Buterin's actions fitting his known pattern of slow, goal-oriented selling seen across 2025 and into 2026, market analysts view the influence as insignificant and mostly noise. The chapter emphasizes how high-profile wallet transactions can trigger short-term responses even if their cause is non-speculative in a wider risk-off environment for crypto assets.