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The Big Picture: In late January 2026, he moved a much larger sum—16,384 ETH (approx. $38.5M) — out of his main holdings.
Current Balance: Despite these moves, Vitalik still holds roughly 235,000 ETH, meaning these sales represent less than 1% of his total known holdings.
💡 The "Why": Context is King
Vitalik has clarified that these moves are part of a broader strategy to support the Ethereum ecosystem and personal philanthropic goals:
Foundation Austerity: He noted that the Ethereum Foundation is entering a period of "mild austerity," and he is personally stepping in to fund projects like open-source software, privacy tech, and hardware research.
Charity: A significant portion of the proceeds (at least $500,000 in USDC) was sent to Kanro, a biotech charity he founded to research pandemic prevention.
Stability: He is reportedly exploring decentralized staking for his remaining funds to create a sustainable, long-term funding model that doesn't require constant liquidations.
📉 Market Impact & Technicals
The market reaction has been a mix of macro-driven weakness and "Vitalik sold" headlines:
Support: ETH has been testing a critical support zone around $2,100–$2,200.
Sentiment: While retail traders often react emotionally to founder sales, institutional data shows that entities like BlackRock and Fidelity have continued accumulating ETH through ETFs during this same period.
Trend: The 24-hour price action showed ETH dipping toward $2,090 before stabilizing, suggesting the market is absorbing the news as "business as usual" for Vitalik.
Note: While founder sales can be a psychological hurdle for investors, Vitalik's history suggests these are almost exclusively for grants, donations, or operational costs rather than a loss of faith in the network.