- Vitalik Buterin sold 1,869 ETH worth $3.67M in two days, coinciding with a 5.7% price drop from $1,988 to $1,875.
- Earlier, he offloaded 6,958 ETH valued at $14.78M after withdrawing funds from Aave, as ETH fell 22.7%.
- The Ethereum Foundation had announced mild austerity, withdrawing 16,384 ETH for multi-year operational funding.
Vitalik Buterin increased Ethereum sales in February 2026 as prices slid across crypto markets. According to Lookonchain, the Ethereum co-founder sold 1,869 ETH over two days this month. The transactions occurred on-chain, followed earlier withdrawals from Aave, and coincided with a sharp price decline.
Recent Sales and Price Moves
According to Lookonchain, Buterin sold 1,869 ETH worth $3.67 million in two days. During that time, ETH fell from $1,988 to $1,875. That move reflected a 5.7% decline.
Earlier, he sold 6,958 ETH valued at $14.78 million. That sale aligned with a price drop from $2,360 to $1,825. The decline reached 22.7%. Notably, those transactions followed a withdrawal of 3,500 ETH from Aave. From that batch, he sold 571 ETH within hours.
Foundation Funding and Context
On January 30, Buterin said the Ethereum Foundation entered a period of mild austerity. He explained the plan focused on tighter resource management. As part of that effort, he withdrew 16,384 ETH. He stated the funds would support operations gradually over several years.
However, sales accelerated soon after. On February 2, he began selling portions of those holdings. He sold $6.6 million in ETH over three days. The reported average price stood near $2,228 per token.
Market Activity During the Downtrend
Meanwhile, Ethereum continued trading lower alongside the broader market. At the time of reporting, ETH traded near $1,872. After the latest sales, the token fell more than 5% in one day. Over the past week, losses reached 4.6%. Monthly declines stood near 36%.
However, trading activity increased during the slide. Ethereum’s 24-hour trading volume rose 33% to $15.24 billion. The increase occurred amid heightened volatility. According to Vitalik Buterin, transactions unfolded publicly on-chain throughout February.